homeschool end of era party

I'm a full time mum and home-educator. 4 of our 5 children are/were home-educated. This are pics from our 'end of Era' party. These are all home-educated kids.(my 3 boys are in the pics with friends). Some like daughter Mary(maroon/rust dress) and friend have moved on to college etc. The current leavers were brought in a horse-drawn carriage. This event took place in spring meadow farm, hertfordshire (UK) - acres and acres of beautiful scenery, valleys and 100s of pine trees, owned by dear friends who kindly opened their premises to us. It started with swimming, waterplay and barbeque. Then the children/young adults got dressed for the awards ceremony in the barn with some arriving in style! Later in the evening, entertained us with their musical skills playing violin, piano,guitar,drums singing. I thought I'd share something of another part of my life so y'all know I do something besides blogging about hair.

4th retightening

Here are some pics at 7mths, after my 4th retightening. As you know I've been contemplating DIYing, but I ended going to Angela to get it done. (Parking was a nightmare,probably due to time of day - 4pm. I ended up parking about 1mile away and was 1/2hr late for my appt-not a good thing.) I don't quite feel ready to tackle 100s of locs on my own head and I'm not sure about my arms. I'm also re-tightening Arashia 's 350 or so locs which means I would be doing both hers and mine at the same time. Hmmm.... I don't think so. I found a new tool called a bodkin. I think it's a yarn needle. It's really good and so cheap,90p. I've split and repaired a few of Arashia's locs. I'm also picking up speed with this retightening thing.Maybe when I'm faster I'll DIY and celebrate..... finally, bc I won't have no more parking problems, walking for about a mile, sweating like James Brown on stage.

Divine appointment

Arashia asked me to go to her church with her late on sat night. (This church happens to be a church started by my friend Rosemary and her husband Andrew. Arashia sings in the choir there, but I attend a church in Hatfield. ) I agreed cuz(I had this feeling I should go there). As soon as we got there, the pastor said, 'I knew you'd come today, your friends are here.' And there was Steve and wife Alison. Apparently God had told them the night b4 that they were to come to this same church. I met Alison months ago at Hemel sports centre where our home-educated children do various activities. We're both commited christians so we often stopped for a chat together. Her hubby, Steve is the guy who ministered to me at the sports centre (whilst my kids were swimming! and I didn't know him from Adam until his wife came and introduced us!!!) I wrote it on my website http://www.locsdiary.piczo.com/ on loc-hair ties pg 4th oct 2006. I was excited bc I know he moves in the power of the holy spirit. And I was not disappointed. I saw him pray and prophesy over people,including Arashia. Then he called me. I was shaking like a leaf bc I knew God had something to say to me. Oh my! He did too. Without going into details here, God said he'd heard my prayers, he'd seen my tears, the breakthrough is on the way. Infact I was given a time-frame (which is very unusual)..2 months.This confirmed what God had already told me and it's actually the 3rd confirmation I've had concerning the situation I've been seeking him about. We ended up going to lunch with Steve,wife, friend and kids. Back on That day, when I had that encounter at the sports centre, I was feeling particularly bad. I had had a very bad night with a circulatory problem and I really didn't feel like taking the kids out, but I made myself go. Steve told me he didn't know why he came (bc he never comes there) until he saw me and knew he was to pray for me. He'd never met me, knew nothing about me, yet by a word of knowledge, he told me 'God wants to heal you of a circulatory problem.' God uses him like that, in all sorts of places, shops, airports, aeroplanes etc he is often directed to total strangers.
Friends, we're living in exciting times. God's confirming his word with healings, signs, miracles, wonders,supernatural provision - in all sorts of ways. He's answering prayer and changing situations. The impossible, has b'come possible. Guys, I thought this was a hair blog. But God's got other ideas. I will have to come back with Arashia testimonies, Anne's testimonies, Helen's testimonies.... but I have to ask their permission and when the time is right and God permits, I'll write my full story here.

Be grateful

Just want to tell all U people in blogosphere, be grateful for what you've got. If U live in a sunny climate, enjoy it. Don't complain. U could be here in England, St Albans watching the summer drown in sheets of rain and cloudy skies. But I refuse to be downcast by mere weather. I've got a lovely hubby and 5 wonderful children. Each of those children love the lord. Instead of messing up and having teenage blues my kids are going to church, serving God, getting involved in evangelizing and getting awards at college. I'm so blessed, bc some kids are giving their parent's hell this very minute. My God gave Jesus, his best for me. He's also healed me, healed my kids, lifted me up, given me a business - no 2 or is it 3? Given me some lovely friends,including you in blogland. Did I say I'm blessed? In the midst of the credit crunch, God's increasing me and my family! We're moving up, not down. He's answered every prayer, strengthened me time and time again. He's simply amazing. I've come over so many impossible situations that some people say my life is like a movie with - a happy ending. The glory goes to God.
2 wks ago we were at a homeschool end of term party. Someone called me to say my son was hurt. I rushed out to see J lying on the ground screaming with his leg at a strange angle. Everyone crowded around saying the leg was broken and call 999. I sat on the grass next to him. I knew this wasn't the time to panic. It was time to get God's help. I laid my hand on him and started to pray. 1st thing God told me was, it wasn't broken. So we carried him to the house and put some ice on his knee where he wrenched it. He stopped crying and wanted to hobble about ,but I made him sit. a few days later he was running about as if nothing had happened, and I forgot all about it... that is until one lady (non christian) asked me this. What was it that kept U so calm in the midst of that bad situation. And how can he be Ok so soon?

braiding and banding/DIY and NL tool

When I hit 3mths, I decided to just band my hair and wash. I got a great deal of slippage. Again at 6mths I gave it another shot. Still some slippage. I really don't like having to braid and band. It makes the shampoo-ing process seem tedious. I'm a wash and go kind of person. I don't even remember to style. This is why I like locs so much. But for now I will have to continue braiding and banding to avoid problems. I'm also trying to decide about DIY.
advantages: save money
take full controll of my hair
not dependent on any one.
not having to set aside 4-5hrs every 6wks to get my hair did.

disadvantages: have to spend several hrs(not in 1 chunk) doing my hair, when my time is already limited.
don't quite know how I'll manage due to painful upper arms and neck.(temporary in Jesus' name)
My hubby says I should just go and get it did cuz it's easier. But I like doing my own hair.

If I diy I'll be using the NL tool or my own tool. The NL tool I have is the medium size but I can 'pinch' it in to make it smaller. I don't want to spend $30(inc postage to UK) on a small one. Which brings me to a message I got from the owner of nappylocs. Apparently, she already has a design like the one I've got(amongst others) and had applied for a patent. Somebody suggested that she could just say that in order to discourage me from taking my tool any further. But I believe the lady. She is a christian, like me and I truly trust that she was being honest with me. So what does that mean? I wasn't really willing to find out bc I had more trouble than it was worth making that tool and it still needed improvements made to it. So I've shelved the idea. Infact, I'd rather sell the NL tool with the owner's permission, along with my other products, on my forthcoming website than make one. But we'll see.

Doing clients' hair

Yesterday I drove my daughter to hemel-hempsted to do a client's hair. The day b4 I took her to Hatfield to do this young ladies' hair. She wanted temporary dreads. I had to go back to pic her up bc it was too late to get a bus. So anyway - hemel- to do 2st twists with afro kinky hair. Bear in mind I had taken her to Watford and back in the morning,( other direction from hemel) bc she had a meeting, I was tired and feeling like an unpaid driver. So I left her there and went to Garston to see my bro who just arrived from the US and was leaving today.(he's airline crew). He was drinking at a pub -Harvesters, so I joined him and killed 2 hrs talking with some guys we just met telling them hairy stories about Ghana. So she calls me to say am I coming to get her? And I rush back to this back of beyond place in hemel,cos I'm not familiar with this part of hemel, (how I retraced my steps in the dark I don't know). I get there ,only to discover she's only completed half the ladies' hair. So I settle down to help her and it turned out to be a very profitable and enjoyable time. The lady is a christian - with 2 lovely little girls, and we enjoyed a great time of fellowship and encouraging each other. We've made a friend and it was indeed a pleasure to do her hair.
It's my daughter Mary's birthday today, She's away at camp on the Isle of Wight. Happy 17th b'day Mer.

How does God feel?

About the millions of women who alter their hair with dangerous chemicals? I'm sure he is not against us having some fun changing hairstyles,even temporarily changing hair texture,or colour. But using a substance that's a known toxin, has the ability to rapidly penetrate the skin, cause blindness, burns, and who knows what else? I mean who would willingly put this on their skin, unless somehow deluded into believing anything is better than kinky hair? And I'm not pointing any fingers, I thought that way too. For years I ignored that inner feeling that this practice just couldn't be right, and continued to slap the stuff on. When I could take it no longer I'd BC only to start back again down that painful road. I'm convinced I hold the world record on BC-ing bc I've lost count just how many tmes I did it in my attempt to be free. I bring this subject up (yet again) bc I was reminded of this phenomenon at church on sunday. I saw 2 Ladies who, inspired by my locs, made a half- hearted attempt to go natural , now back on the lye or no-lye treadmill. In weeks They have already gone from relaxer to weave to braids to relaxer to BC to texturizer to....U get the picture. That vicious cycle, all the while losing your hair. I know in 2004, I cried out to God for help. I had stayed away from the creamy crack a whole year only to backslide in june 2004, bc I didn't know what else to do. I believe it was God who led me to locs as a real alternative to loose natural hair and I changed my lifelong prejudice against them. In my culture, locs were not for sane people. You had them if you were dedicated to a shrine or insane. But I begun to see it differently and I'm eternally grateful to God for saving me and my hair. He must be really pleased with the 'back to natural' trend today. You see God cares even about your hair. Why, he knows the exact numbers of hairs on your head, And to us women, he says this. ' I gave you your hair for your covering and your glory'

I did a sneaky thing-I did a loc extension!?! (6mth pics)

6mths
5mths - 6mths




loc- ext
..............with afrokinky hair

(all the 'fluff' u see in my hair are just my numerous grey hairs)

I decided to add extensions to 2 locs that were about 1in long. I only extended by about 2in to blend in with the rest of my locs. Apparently, you can take them down but I don't intend to. This is a no- no for sls (so don't try this at home lol!). I'm one of those that isn't afraid to experiment using moi as the model. I used afro kinky human hair, but I read about how this hair is obtained and it's quite off-putting. I don't mind people selling their hair to get money. After all, they have a right to do so if the price is right + they could be helping someone who's lost all or some of their hair. But the thought of hair coming from giant rubbish dumps, old brushes,yaks or even {shudder} corpses is a bit much! They only consolation is the hairs go through washing, colouring and chemical processing to get the right texture so all or any undesirables are surely dead by the time the reach the consumer. The alternative of course is synthetic hair, which may not last and could be itchy. I'm not a fan of weaves, although I wore my fair share back in the day. I realise this industry isn't going to disappear. There's a huge demand for it worldwide, whether it's for those wanting to change their looks every other week or those wishing to cover damage. When's the last time you saw a bald or part bald woman walking down the road? It is true that if black women didn't rely so heavily on chemicals and weaves many would avoid hairloss. But once it's occured it must grow back or be concealed right?