Thursday, October 31, 2013

Happy Halloween: You Are What You Eat

Halloween is a time to be creative, play hard and be a


little vulnerable. 
Our parents were married on Halloween, but Joy, Faith 
and I didn't know that until after their divorce.  
For our mom Halloween was a great time to celebrate with family and friends and to allow us, her children, to be anything we wanted.
This year we embarked on a new business 
so we had to scale back, but I couldn't stop myself from having a little scary, creepy fun.   
This idea came from my love of fantasy, science-fiction and horror.
PS In order to see the actual brain you must play the video which 
is listed last in this blog.

You are what you eat. 
The Ladies of the Round Table hope to make an evolutionary leap. 
The Aliens in the neighboring galaxy of Canis Major Dwarf are 100 times more intelligent than humans.  They are able to use telepathy and can teleport themselves to anywhere in the galaxy.  We have decided to supplement our diet with these aliens to improve our own brains’ abilities.

SciFi, Gore, Evolution, Diet, Holiday
Alien Head With Brain



Halloween, Inventive Halloween Menu, Creepy, Gore, Horror, Meatloaf
Alien Head With Korean BBQ Sauce


Fried Green Tomatoes
Alien Toes

BBQ Ribs,  Kentucky Burbon BBQ Sauce and Korean BBQ Sauce
Alien Ribs With A Kentucky-Korean BBQ
Sauce


Menu

Alien From Head to Toe
Alien’s Whole Head With Brain
With Sautéed Alien Toes

 Alien Flame Broiled Ribs  
Alien Flame Broiled Ribs
in Korean BBQ Sauce











Friday, October 25, 2013

Ren vs. Wen: They Are Nothing Alike



Wen vs Ren; Wen vs Balding; Co-Washing vs Clarifying Shampoo 
I added this Jan 8, 2017

It is easy to mistake RenPure (Ren) for Wen.  Their packaging and labels are very similar.  They are also both called cleansing conditioners, but this is where the similarities end.  Ren is a cheaper product than Wen, but Wen is a far superior product.  Everyone in my family agrees Ren is not a suitable substitution to Wen.  Wen detangles my hair, making it easy to get a comb through my natural hair.  My hair feels silky and soft to the touch with Wen, and I can also leave the product in my hair as a styling product.  Ren, on the other hand, leaves my hair extremely tangled, hard and waxy to the touch and suds up like a protein treatment.  You are not supposed to leave protein treatments in your hair  because it can make your hair hard and dry.  Hmmm, that is oddly similar to how Ren makes my hair feel.  If you used Ren before ever trying Wen thinking that they should be the same, I am telling you now they are not.  Please do not judge Wen by how your hair reacts to Ren; they are different, and to me Wen is worth the price.  I like touching my hair with Wen, but Ren made me hate the feel of my hair.  It was depressing.  I realized that some people out there might think the two products are the same, and I just want you to know that they are not!

If you can't afford Wen, then co-wash but don't use Ren.  I received some extremely good results co-washing with the list of conditioners below, but Ren was one of the worst results I have ever had.  I know some of you are thinking well her hair is kinky-curly I don't have that problem.  Let me tell you even the straight-haired man in my family hated Ren and loves Wen. My mother has wavy hair; she went off about her results with Ren.  I prefer Wen to co-washing because my hair results in no tangles, but when I can't get Wen--and there are times when I can't--I co-wash with conditioners because using Ren is not a good substitute.  If money is an issue, co-wash with these products they work, and many times I leave them in my hair to make my curls pop:

Kiss My Face        Herbal Essence         Aussie Moist    Organix Coconut Milk   Sauve Naturals

I am planning on doing a vblog to show you the differences between Ren and Wen.  I cannot repeat enough that Ren is not worth the money.  Maybe those who have never used Wen would think Ren is okay, but that is only because they have not experienced their hair on Wen.

Note: I have since found Herbal Essences Naked Cleansing Conditioner to be a great alternative to Wen.  Read more by clicking the link above.   P.S.  You can find out more about hair products and DIY hair products by clicking on the Hair Page.  This note added June 7, 2015.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Beauty By The Moon (Diet, Weight Loss And Long Hair)

Trim Hair during the waxing moon for longer faster growing hair
Moon Oct. 17 2013

Okay, I am very bored with trying to make myself look the way I want in my dreams.  I am frankly burned out when it comes to diets and my hair can never grow fast enough to satisfy me. Right now the only thing that can excite me is fashion, but all my money is tied up, so I am not all that excited.  Unfortunately it seems the rest of the Ladies Of The Round Table are burned out on everything to do with self improvement, too.  In other words none of use can stay on a diet, and none of us seem to care!

This started me thinking, "Is there something wrong in the Universe?" Why can't I do what needs to be done? Why can't anyone in my family stay on a diet? I have been looking at adjusting my schedule to coincide with the moon.  I was explaining to Faith my little experiment when she asked me if I had ever tried to use the moon to plan my diet.  I had not.  Wow, I was using the waning and waxing of the moon to plan all sorts of things but not my diet.  Now I have heard of using the waxing and waning of the moon to grow your hair longer and loss weight, but I have never actually tried it.  This may be the something I needed.  Maybe I can breathe new life into my image goals.  Timing my diet to the waning and waxing of the moon might be fun.  So I looked up how to use the moon to make my hair longer and my waist smaller.

I looked at many sites and books.  I found Farmer's Almanac extremely helpful.  They have a Best Days Calendar that makes planning beauty ideas easy.  Apparently, starting a diet during a waxing moon is harder on your willpower.   Cutting your hair during a waning moon is a very bad idea if you want long hair.  Oh, and the best time to start a diet is the night of the Full Moon.  The full Moon this month is tomorrow, October 18, 2013 (also lunar eclipse).  Yes, tomorrow I will start my diet.  I will see if starting my dieting during the full Moon really makes things easier.  It won't be just me starting my diet by myself, I hope.  Mom and my sisters are supposed to start their diets tomorrow.  All of us will be doing The 4-Hour Body (Faith and I both read and love this book) and Pat Brown System (a friend recently told us to check this out).  In addition I am doing the the Fast Diet for a little extra kick; I really liked the book and I know that the 5:2 schedule will work well for me.  So, tomorrow we diet, but today we feast.  Joy and Faith made a huge brunch.  It was amazing.  Later tonight I will have Korean noodles and bourbon.

Tomorrow we diet.  Today I have no motivation to diet but maybe tomorrow will be different.  We have to diet.  We must diet.  Our goals are clear.  Diet to look even better than we did here:

accessories
Mom (Glenda)

Love (me)

Joy
Boots: YSL
Faith at Perfect.
My goal is to drop weight and grow longer hair using the help of the moon.  Heck, when you get bored with dieting you have to change it up.  If you need a new formula to help improve your image, start looking at things you haven't tried.  At the very least it will add a little excitement to your beauty routine.  As for now when the moon is waning I am going to give my hair oil treatments and deep conditioning.  Today I am going to feast, drink and be merry.  Oh, here is the brunch that Joy and Faith made for today's last hoorah.  Food porn anyone? Cheese Grits, Maple Bacon, Eggs, Cut Potatoes (home fries), Buttermilk Pancakes

Food Porn, Brunch, Breakfast Food Porn, Brunch, Breakfast

Weisenberger Flour Mill Buttermilk Pancakes
Buttermilk Pancakes
Weisenberger Flour Mill a Kentucky Proud product




Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Birthday Birthday And Again Birthday

Best Mac and Cheese Comfort Food
Mac and Cheese with Aged Cheddar, Colby and Velveeta

Best Sandwich
Okay, September is now over.  September, the beautiful month when summer ends and fall begins.  That month where all schools are officially open and doing business.  Yes, many schools start in August, but all American schools are open by September.  For me, September is beauty, the Autumn Equinox, and birthdays--lots of high maintenance birthdays.  It can be stressful, painful and there is also a 90% chance of weight gain.  My mom is a Virgo and kicks of the festivities.  Joy and Faith are both Libras, born at the end of the month and within 4 days of each other.  Yep, in less than a four day period I must celebrate Joy and Faith's birthdays.  Oh, did I happen to mention my sisters demand a birthday WEEK! They don't get a day; they get a whole week.  Soooo, technically I am still celebrating Joy's Birthday.  FYI Faith is making Korean food, and oh, it is Oct. 2.  Ten days from now I will be celebrating Bryan's birthday.  I am writing while drinking and listening to bluegrass music.  Joy loves bluegrass music.

This year was harder than most to celebrate the birth of my mother and two sisters.  Problem #1 Mom and Faith were spending most their time in Harlan, KY trying to prep mom's property there.  I missed mom's birthday because I stayed behind in Louisville, but I made sure to celebrate Mom's birthday two days later driving down to Harlan with Joy and Bryan.

For Mom's birthday, I thought I would keep the food simple.  I even ordered the Blackout Cake from The Cheesecake Factory.  I had to get that cake.  (Note:  Mom was mad at me when I destroyed what was leftover from my birthday cake (Blackout Cake) from earlier this year.  I am a Capricorn, so it was the very beginning of the year and we were supposed to diet right after my birthday celebrations.  Mom was pissed.  It was like that scene when Roger from American Dad gets Francine and Hayley (mother and daughter ) to fight, with the cake being Roger!  I had cake in my ear.  I am not joking--major Food fight!)  The rest of the food I made myself.  Sunny side up egg, Genoa Salami, and I made a rice and beans with goat cheese and peppers and tomatoes.  The tomatoes and peppers were from Faith's Garden.

Rice and Beans
Cannellini Beans, Sushi Rice, Goat Cheese,
Peppers and Tomatoes
Best Sandwich
Sunny Side up egg,  Genoa Salami, Hawaiian Bread
with havarti cheese

Best Sandwich
Same as above with egg on the side.


Chocolate Cake, Cheese Cake Factory
Blackout Cake
Cheesecake Factory 
For Faith's Birthday Joy and I drove to Harlan.  Bryan stayed home.  I made Faith's birthday dinner in Louisville and transported it to Harlan.  Faith loves comfort food, and oddly both Joy and Faith love Brussel sprouts and, of course, mom hates them, but it is Faith's birthday so sprouts it is.  I made a beef stew Bugs Bunny style.
Bugs Bunny

Mac and Cheese, I was told this was the best we ever had and it was.
Best Mac and Cheese Comfort Food
Mac and Cheese with Aged Cheddar, Colby and Velveeta

Brussel Sprouts
Best Brussel Sprouts
Brussel Sprouts, thick cut bacon, honey and hot peppers
from Faith's Garden


Birthday Cake
Carrot Cake Cheesecake Factory

So, now Faith is cooking.  We celebrated Joy's birthday on her birthday, but no one cooked so Faith is now throwing a slumber/birthday party for herself and Joy.  It is the first week Faith has been home since the middle of August.  So, she is making everyone her Korean food.  Yes!  I am waiting now.  I think I am no longer tipsy.  I will take a picture of the complete spread.  Oh, and Joy made potato salad.  Joy was also Faith's sous chef.   Okay, so all that will follow is a bunch of pics.  I hope I have provided you with enough food porn. 

OMG we are watching Parker with Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez and they base part of the story in Covington, KY and Louisville's Churchill Downs.  Who knew?  Well here are our dinner pics from today.
Korean Sides


Korean Food, Eggs




Korean BBQ
Korean BBQ