Song of the Day

This song is beautiful. I was reminded of this song at church on Sunday during a mime dance. Love it!

Do we celebrate Halloween?

To answer the question above…no! We do not celebrate this holiday for the simple fact that we do not celebrate the dead and spirits. It would take me days to talk about the various origins of Halloween, but I do not have the time. I do believe that the enemy uses a variety of schemes to trip up the people of God and places alternatives for us to celebrate the holiday without bluntly saying we’re celebrating Halloween…things like “Hallelujah Parties” instead of Halloween parties, but everything about it is the same or “Hell houses” to show people that Hell is not as enticing as Halloween make it out to be (A.K.A Haunted houses).

Now there are ways to celebrate the season changes; Fall Festivals and Harvest themed activities such as pumpkin picking and orchard visits. These are all fun ways for families to enjoy the crisp weather and prepare for the long winter to come.

Fall 2010

You will definitely see me family enjoy an awesome Fall Festival next week with our church and it will be AWESOME!! Laser tag, bounce houses, games, and food!
Enjoy your Fall!

Next Iron Chef Season 4

All of the hype about this season of Next Iron Chef has got me super duper excited! I am a fan of a great recipe and creativity and I look forward to these super chefs getting together to compete for the title of Iron Chef. The some of the chefs on the roster are: Anne Burrell, Alex Guarnaschelli (judge on Chopped), Robert Irvine (Restaurant: Impossible), Geoffrey Zakarian (judge on Chopped). The new season airs October 30th 9/8pm central time.

Who will tune in?

The Importance of Prayer

This year, I have realized the importance of prayer. Our family has endured so much and God has made a way for us in so many ways. He never left us or had us to go without; and I am so grateful! Before, I would just go through the motions of living day by day thinking that if I don’t go through then God is not in the success. But God does want us to have joy and want to give us the desires of our hearts. I must say, with prayer, you see God in everything…good and not so good, but it is all to try our faith and build our relationship with Him.

What is prayer? Prayer is to be in communion with God or a dialogue. Our dialogue with God determines the quality of the relationship. Like with any relationship (i.e. marriage), when we continue to have dialogue with our husbands or wives, we expand our knowledge of them. The more you talk the more you know and are comfortable and trusting you is of that person….same with God. The more we communion
with Him, the more we know of Him and His promises to us.

Why pray? We should pray because we want to know God. The more we pray, we are gravitating toward the things of God. When we desire God, we desire things that are beneficial to our relationship and lives. We must stay in the Word of God daily to know what to pray so that when things don’t always goes the way we think it should go, doubt won’t enter. We are in constant warfare with the enemy who tries to deter us from God’s truth. We must equip ourselves with the armor of God (Ephesian 6:11-18).

Are there different forms of prayer? There are several forms of prayer: confessions, repentance, thanksgiving, intercession, praise, worship, petition, and more. There is no wrong way to pray, but you must come with a pure heart. Prayer is not simply saying words. It is not repeating formulas. God is looking for heartfelt relationship. We are told by Jesus not to make meaningless repetitions of words when we pray. Matthew 6:7 says, “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”

How to pray? Previously, I mentioned that there is no wrong way to pray, but Jesus provides a blueprint in which our prayer should be. With everything, there is order. Many say “The Lord’s Prayer” but in fact it is the prayer that the disciples learned. (Matthew 6:9-13) As we have read, there is an order in which Jesus has given us.

I am still maturing in my prayer life and am not ashamed to admit that there is definitely room for growth. I am in awe of the Lord and in all that He does for this family… I want to give Him the best of me…all of me! He’s worth it.

Song of the Day!

This song is written based upon this scripture.
Jesus to His bride (the church)

Isaiah 54:10

For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.

The writer of Unfailing Love, Jimmy Needham fits this scripture in to coincide his relationship with his wife...he knows that he must love his wife as Christ loves the church. (Ephesians 5:25)

I just love this song!! Check it out!

Book Club in the works

For those who are interested... I am putting together both a physical and virtual book club!

Check out the video below for details!

Watch "Book Club Announcement" on YouTube

Who knew?...Make your own buttermilk!

I stumbled across this youtube channel and I fell in love! Laura has some amazing recipes that she modified herself and the results are amazing!
I am mostly excited to make the buttermilk because when I want to bake biscuits or some sort of pastry, I never have the buttermilk on hand so this simple recipe helped me solve the problem by....making my own!
If you love to cook and love great recipes, please subscribe to her channel!

Self-Examination: Are you microwave or a Crock Pot?

 I was reading a blog entry by a Kimberly M. Chastain and she simply asks a question. Are you a microwave or a crock pot? This is in reference to our prayer life and how in most situations we want God to answer our prayers in a microwave fashion instead of allowing God to work in His own time to perfect our desires and fully cook the results. This small reading reminded me of my fault of trying to rush God and by doing so put myself in a deeper whole or in other words undercooked.

I am reminded of how God worked on behave of Gideon. Yes, it was easier for God to equip thousands of Israelites to defeat the 120,000 strong Midianites but God chose only three hundred. God’s way is always perfect and His way is right, but we feel that we can assist God in the preparation. If we will only allow God to work on our behalf, our situations will be easier to endure when we can rely on the fact that God is in control.

Although microwaves offer faster results and we get to feast right away, wouldn’t you enjoy the privilege of waiting and feasting on something that is filling and satisfying? I will continue to practice on trusting and waiting on the Lord, the feasting is much greater that way!

To read the story of Gideon, check out Judges 6-7.

Fresh and appetizing Enchiladas
(crock pot cooked)

Processed and least appetizing Enchiladas
(microwaved)

Hobby of mine..Photo editing

Hey! Just wanted to show you my practice project I was working on this morning. Tell me what you think!

Rapunzel, Raymiah and Rylee! LOL

Rediscovering my "Attractiveness"

I don’t know about anyone else, but I enjoy being married! I have been blessed with the most awesome husband and we fit together like a glove. When we were newlyweds, we couldn’t be separated for nothing in the world, but now, with children and tons of responsibility, time alone is hard to come by. We may try the occasion game night and weekly couple devotion, but it seems as if it wasn’t enough. I never wanted to feel as if we didn’t have time for each other, but it was getting to that point. When this happened, I began to feel less attractive and my appearance definitely showed that. My husband has grown to love 4 inch heels and the smell of cucumber melon and I didn’t feel like that anymore because there wasn’t enough time in the day to dress up. But my husband didn’t complain. He began to adapt to the smell of bebe’ le puke and still found me attractive. I definitely didn’t see what he saw. I felt bad for him because now I felt as if he was settling and I didn’t want that at all.

So, every now and then, I’ll cook in a fitted dress and nice shoes with makeup instead of the sweats and busted tee shirts! LOL…He loves it and I am happy to make him happy. I knew this would help and I had scripture as an encouragement. Proverbs 31: 22 says that the virtuous woman “maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.” So she looked good no matter what using the finest fabrics possible. She didn’t use the busyness of life as an excuse not to look presentable so neither should I.

The bible is such an inspiration and it has been my “Vogue” in a holy perspective. I have learned how to appear before my husband and take care of my family all within the scriptures. 

Hair One Review and more

Hair One Review

I recently decided to try Hair One after some research and a desperate need of a routine wash. My husband helped me in deciding to try the Wen Alternative first since it was convenient to pick it up from the store. No sulfates or harmful detergents added which is what I was happy about. We went to Sally” Beauty Supply and grabbed the cleanser and leave-in spray. Also, to supplement Wen’s re-moist cream and balm, I bought One ‘n Only Argan Oil’s Styling Cream and Hydrating Mask. With the products combined, I was able to create a well moisturized, soft and clean head of hair. I am sure Wen will have the same results, but right now Hair One did the job AND it was easy on my pockets! We will look at both brands ingredient list and potential results. I will do a review on Wen by Chaz Dean once I run out of Hair One.

Let’s get going….

I started my wash by rinsing my hair with warm water. Then I sectioned my hair in four parts and began to work the Hair One cleanser section by section adding in 5 pumps of product. I massaged the product into my scalp and saturated the ends of my hair as well. The product did not lather because of the lack of sulfates but it was evenly distributed. I left in the product for 20 minutes. The instructions says to leave in longer for better results but being that I have 4 children and a husband, 20 minutes was good enough. I was able to detangle my hair with no problem. It was very manageable. Usually, I am unable to do a good detangle with my other conditioner (L’Oreal Sulfate free).

After a good rinsing, I applied the One ‘n Only hydrating mask as a sort of “protein treatment”. I will only use this product once a month until I run out. The ingredients are a bit harsh and will strip my hair if used more than the one time. The hydrating mask stayed in my hair for 20 minutes as well, and then I rinsed it out. By this time, my hair is still soft and my curls were defined.

I blowdried my hair on a low setting using heat protection and straightened my hair using my CHI flat irons and achieved the best straightened hair ever that I did!

Here’s the ingredients…


Hair One
 >Cleanser< Water (Aqua), Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Amodimethicone, CID 157846, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seed Extract, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Rosa Roxburghii Fruit Extract, Panthenol, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Menthol, Polysorbate 60, Citric Acid, BHT, Disodium EDTA, Potassium Sorbate, 1, 2-Hexanediol, Hexylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sorbic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum)

>Volumizing Leave in Spray<
Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Panthenol, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG-9 Dimethicone, Silicone Quaternium-18, Trideceth-6, Trideceth-12, Amodimethicone, Cetrimonium Chloride, Polysorbate 20, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium PCA, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Extract, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Butylene Glycol, DMDM Hydantoin, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate




Wen by Chaz Dean
>Cleanser<
Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Prunus Serotina (Wild Cherry) Bark Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hydrolyzed Wheat, Protein, Panthenol, Butylene Glycol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Polysorbate 60, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Amodimethicone, Citric Acid, Menthol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Fragrance (Parfum, Limonene.

>Re-Moist Treatment<
 Water (Aqua), Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol,Glyceri, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Prunus Serotina (Wild Cherry) Bark Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Gardenia Tahitensis Flower, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Panthenol, Butylene Glycol, Amodimethicone, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Polysorbate 60, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Citric Acid, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Menthol, Fragrance (Parfum), Limonene, Hexyl Cinnamal, Annatto (CI 75120).


As you can see, the ingredients are practically identical and I am sure the results are the same. Now, this review is based solely on my experience. Your hair might not have the same result, but if it is worth the try, then go for it!

Song of the Day!

Avalon singing "Everything to Me"
I just love this song...enjoy!!

Tums Commercial...a little too much?

I don't know if it's me but the new Tums commercial are out of line! It shows people trying to enjoy a snack or a meal and the food supposedly fighting back because of heartburn. Why didn't they use a pretzel or rice? You know? All of the fallacies committed in today's media get great marketing but there should be a better way. Using food as a sexual fallacy is crazy! First there was the infamous Jack in the box commercial, now this. What's going on? What's your view of this marketing strategy?







Now check this out. This was one of the first commercials Tums used for their "Food that fights back" ad. Obviously, this didn't work well for them. A much cleaner, funnier version.

A Shoe Haul...for him

Who would have thought that my husband will be a shoe fanatic!? I didn't! Well, this past Saturday, he met with a fellow Craigslister and walked away with over 20 pairs of shoes, some never worn more than twice! The styles are endless: dress, casual, work, and athletic. The brands are as followings: Diesel, Kenneth Cole, Nike, and Steve Madden. Why aren't the women willing to let go of shoes this easily? All the shoes that he bought were $50!!!!!!! Wow!

Check them out!

Here Ye Here Ye!!

I have been contemplating the idea of a book club for some time now. Just recently I was encouraged to move forward with this idea. So starting January 2012, there will be a Book Club!! Yay!! There will be both a physical and virtual meet-up location but that has yet to be decided. A name hasn’t been decided, but I am excited to get this started. I definitely need your help! If you are interested, please email me and once there are enough participants, we can collectively decide on a name, themes, genres, and books. I am open to all ideas so shoot me over an email: aburns354@gmail.com

If you are interested in assisting me in forming this club, please specify your potential role and we can work things out.

Thanks!

Antoinette

HisProverbs1822

Song of the Day!

Fred Hammond and R.F.C---> "When we Praise"

Yep...I went there this morning! Enjoy!

A Thrift Haul...for him

We visited an awesome thrift store here in Houston named Family Thrift Center. They had tons of things and all were in excellent condition. Yesterday we focused on my husband. He need work related attire consisting of polos, vests, dress shirts, and slacks. We loaded the cart with things that were potential and then narrowed down to what fit best and would last longer. All of the items posted were $54! What a steal!! Thrifting can be fun if you know how to do it!
Here's what we bought:

Sweater vests

Polos and dress shirt

Dressy shirt

Sweaters

2 pairs of slacks

Puff Pastry - Recipe Detail - Brownie Pinwheels

Brownie Pinwheel

I am going to try out the recipe as a quick dessert. I will give out the reviews once I make it!
Click the link to get recipe!
Puff Pastry - Recipe Detail - Brownie Pinwheels

Growing up: Creating Fun

I remember growing up in the Englewood community in Chicago; the neighborhoods were filled with children whose parents couldn’t afford the toys of the time. But, that didn’t stop them from having fun. Boredom was not an option. Although I was the few that had a bike and skates, many didn’t have that “luxury” so what many resulted in was grabbing pieces of 2x4’s, city garbage can wheels, and milk crates to create the well-known go carts. For those who didn’t like the idea of building things played restaurant and made meals from twigs, leaves and dirt. Or there were always the playgrounds. My parents always took us to Ogden Park, a city park in the heart of Englewood.

I am now amazed at the creativity of my time and I feel sorry for the youth now who are stuck in their homes watching television because to them there is nothing else to do. I am raising my children to know they can create their own entertainment. Right now, they find a cardboard box fun and entertaining. They’ll take a screw driver over a toy in a minute. With my husband being a plumber back in Illinois, they loved to play with his tools and drilling things together! Fun is all around, it just has to be discovered and create.

In what ways did you entertain yourself growing up? Please share if you’d like!

Communication in Marriage

I am in a Communication class at school studying interpersonal communication skills. This past week I had to read an article entitled “Close relationships sometimes mask poor communication” In this brief reading, there was a study conducted with 24 couples. Facing back to back, they had to figure out the emotion or truth about a phrase the partner said. An example was a wife told her husband “It is hot in here.” The husband responded by turning the AC. Well, he failed. The wife’s phrase was more of a call of “relation” than temperature. This little reading had me thinking and convicted a bit. Although the husband had good intention to meet his wife’s need, the wife implications were misunderstood. Both parties are at fault for poor communication.

I am not the only one to admit that I have failed on occasions to communicate to my husband

without leaving room for error or misunderstanding. My husband favorite saying is “I’m not a

mind-reader!”  And he’s right! I am still learning after 6 years of marriage to be blunt with my husband. He can’t help me if I am not telling him what I need.  We have had arguments because of simple misunderstanding that were fixable. We vowed earlier in our marriage that we will not go to bed angry with one another. As scripture puts in Ephesians 4:26- “Be ye angry,  and  sin  not: let not  the  sun  go down  upon  your  wrath: Neither give  place to the  devil.” If we continue with misconstrued conversation, we will never progress. We must always be with one accord…in communication, decisions, children, and so on.

These are a few ways I have experienced that works in communication with my husband. We are still perfecting it, but it is helping…

1. Good communication can build from randomness. This means that a simple dialogue can occur while doing other things. My husband and I always have a good talk while driving. Although it may be random, it gives us the chance to exercise our thoughts to one another. We have learned a lot about each other through random conversations.

2. Good communication is respectful. We have learned our limits in communicating. A delicate memory that has affected us in the past are not made fun of. We may reflect on them, but we are not bound by what the past has done to us (i.e. family issues).

3. Good communication takes two. While effective, respectful talking is essential in good communication, respectful listening is also vital. Bad communication begins with one spouse dominating the conversation, but the listener can also ensure bad communication. For a long time, my husband would spark a conversation and would usually just sit there and let him do all the talking. Communicating cause for continual dialogue. I have learned that what I have to say matters. I have always been a person of few words but have a lot to say. Sort of weird, but I have never been in a position to voice my opinion growing up.  

4. Good communication comes with a standard.  God’s Word is great encouragement and an awesome guide on relationships. After all being Christians we have a great example of relationship… Jesus. We must practice wholesome communications now to eliminate complaining and nagging. We must be willing to put down our guard and ask for help. We can’t do it alone…so give it a try... START TALKING!

Hope this encourages someone. It took me some time to communicate with anyone. God has done a marvelous work with me and I am so grateful. There is greater in store and I am available to receive what God has in store for me and my marriage!

My Hair Journey

Many do not know the story of my hair journey, so I figured this would be a great time.
My mom relaxed my hair when I was 6 years old. I will never forget the day when she brought home the PCJ relaxer kit. I was already “tender-headed” as it was, but the fear that came from the burn of the chemical. But as all addictions start, you begin to get use to the feeling and soon after you can’t go on without it. During my kindergarten year, I had at the most 7 relaxers within a years’ time! As a result, my edges became damaged and fell out. Hats were my best friend toward the end of my kindergarten school year.

(@ 3...au naturale)

(Kindergarten and relaxed)


As years went by and my hair recovered from the breakage, I maintained the relaxed look and began to experiment with rinses. This was my sophomore year in high school and my hair reacted poorly to a professional grade relaxer. I was forced to cut my tresses. I was very disappointed in the condition of my hair and I was ashamed at my decision to cut my hair. I then began to wear braids and weaves. Glue-ins, sew-ins, and braids were a quick fix but underneath my hair was suffering. Plus I hated the fact of wearing a weave. You would think my hair journey would begin here, but in fact this started my journey of taking care of my relaxed hair.

(After 8th grade (my tresses), 2000)

(High school)



At this point in time, I had a stable hair stylist that was interested in growing my hair and my hair did grow then experiments started. Extreme heat left me with a missing curl…. Yep, an entire piece of crimped hair was on my pillow on morning at least 5 inches long! I cried for days but that couldn’t bring it back. After months two months of strict hair maintenance, my hair grew long enough to wear it out, and then I tried a dye for my 21st birthday. Dumb, dumb, dumb decision! My hair quickly shedded and was noticeably thin. My husband was so upset with me because I consulting him first before I decided. I’ve learned if you are contemplating something, it’s probably best not to do it.

(Fried and Dyed)


Over the years, my hair has cried for help and I finally paid attention and April 2007 was my last relaxer. I went back to sew-ins but this time, I was careful with my hair underneath and washed ever two weeks. My transitioning had begun. When I didn’t do the sew-ins, I wore kinky twists. I didn’t wear my hair out until the dye had grown out. In between weaves and braids, I trimmed my ends. I never did the big chop because I made a vow to myself that I would never cut my hair again. It took my hair a 1 ½ years to grow my hair made to its original length. Once I was comfortable to wear it out, I never went back to weaves because my hair really didn’t react well with the chemicals used to make the synthetic hair plus my husband hated it! LOL
I began my natural hair journey officially April 2009. No relaxers! I finally had control over my hair. I began making my own leave-ins and conditioners and began to wash once a week. My hair has responded wonderfully to constant care. Now many naturals wouldn’t like this part, but I blow-dry and straighten my hair on a regularly meaning at least once a month. My hair never worked out with awash-and-go or twist out. My natural hair doesn’t do great with braids, it’ll just unravel. I’ve learned my hair down to a science and didn’t trust my hair with anyone ever again. But…

(Kinky twists during transition)


Once my hair showed signs of health and constant growth, I went to a salon. October 2009. The stylist didn’t really care too much for my natural hair and hated the fact that I didn’t give in. She barely straightened my hair and trimmed too much of my hair. I never went back after that. I was able to recover from the trim and within a few months my hair grew an extra 3 inches. I figured I give someone I know it capable of trimming my hair. So January 2010, I found a wonderful beautician. She not only treated my ends, but she straightened my hair beautifully! I was confident in my hair and the person doing it, that I highlighted my hair May 2010. My hair responded great…no breakage no abnormal shedding! Wow!! Now, a little over a year since I highlighted my hair, my hair has grown and the color is leaving.

(Hair after awesome styling, 2010)

(My hair as of Sept, 2011)


I have been through so much with my hair and I am learning to treat my ends without fear. I am so proud of the journey and I have some growing to do to meet my goal length which is BSL (bra strap length) I will definitely get there!

Song of the Day!

Trent Cory- "Awesome Wonder" from the album entitled Freedom

If you don't have this album, you need to add this to our collection!

October Already?!

We are approaching the end of the year and it is about that time to think about those infamous resolutions. I say infamous because although we have good intentions to accomplish some short term goals, we always find a way to avoid them because they mean work. I never really did the whole resolution thing because I figured why not start now at these goals? Why wait till the New Year? Use today as encouragement to get things done…we are gifted today because tomorrow is not promised. I am living in the now and I am sure everyone is too!

I have a new perspective of life and even though I have known the Lord for a few years now, I feel that this year, He has really shown Himself in my life. I will begin my series of “Our Journey to Texas” in November. I believe it will fit the theme of the month…transition and thankfulness. But anywho, I plan on starting today to study more and have more family devotions. Life happens and to miss those moments during the day with devotion with the family makes a difference I have noticed. I am not ashamed or embarrassed to say that we can do better. How can you anticipate change if you believe that there is no room for change?

It’s harvest time. What will you reap now? Don’t put off your goals till the New Year, start now!

The important people in my life!

I am so grateful for the ability to have awesome children. Motherhood has its joys and pains but it is so worth it!
This is what makes me proud to be a mom!