*Reflections* --> Following God's Will For Your Life

"We can only learn to know ourselves and do what we can, namely, surrender our will and fulfill God's will in us."

~St. Teresa of Avila

Hey y'all!

As we are approaching the end of another year, many of us can say that we have had some high points and some low points. There have been trials and tribulations as well as moments of joy. If you are questioning whether you had any moments of joy, remember this: You are reading this post, that means that God woke you up this morning and for that you should be thankful and joyful :)

I for one am thankful for the fact that I graduated from the University of Michigan...low g.p.a. and all! That was nothing but God! I am thankful for having a roof over my head, despite the fact that I am struggling financially...again, nothing but God!

As this year comes to a close, and the City Year corps year drawing near the halfway mark, I became stressed about plans for next year. I started frantically researching graduate schools and checking requirements for admission. I had everything planned out...grad school for non-profit management, then a nice career in the non-profit industry. Afterwards, I would cry a little realizing that I don't have the "credentials" to gain admission to some of these schools that I am interested in.

After a very powerful sermon that I heard at church, I realized that this life is not mine. God has a will for my life. Here I was planning out my whole life...down to the amount of children that I wanted...and packaging the whole thing up and asking God to co-sign for me. It doesn't work like that...

I was reading my study bible and here was an insert that they placed in there to give people more insight:

"Jesus said anyone who wants to follow him must 'deny himself and take up his cross' (Mark 8:34). The cross meant suffering and death for Jesus. Does that mean that you'll suffer too?

The cross is more than a place where Jesus died. It is a symbol of our salvation and a symbol of God's will. The cross was God's will for Jesus. But your cross, God's will for your life, is different. What is Jesus telling you?

• Deny yourself. Choose what God wants, not what you want.
• Take up your cross. Do God's will each day.
• Keep on following Jesus.

Following Jesus will make a difference. The old you will be left behind, and you will become a new and beautiful person in Jesus."

After reading that passage, I have decided to leave my life to God. I will follow His will, even if that means that I will have to scrap that whole lifestyle I envisioned for myself. The way I see it, if Jesus knew no sin, and was completely righteous and my righteousness is the equivalent of filthy rags AND I am still seen as righteous through the blood of Jesus, what right do I have to deny God my life?! Absolutely none! He sacrificed His son for a wretch and a sinner like me! What an awesome and amazing God!

I will wait on the Lord and follow his will and I will put my desires on the back burner. I know that God has got sooo much in store for me, that if I follow his will, he will pour down so many blessings on me!

He will do the same for you as well as long as you have FAITH and SURRENDER yourself to him!

With love,

nNb :)

Natural Hair Style Guide for Winter

Hey curlies!

Merry Christmas to everyone! Hopefully you all get to enjoy the holidays with your loved ones :) As I was searching for a cute Christmas hairstyle on my favorite blog CurlyNikki, I came across a post called the Natural Hair Style Guide for Winter. It has a list of all hairstyles as well as links to pictures of them and tutorials. If you're trying to find a nice divalicious style for the holidays, this post is a great place to start!

Here's the link: Natural Hair Style Guide for Winter

Enjoy peeps!

nNb :)

Michelle Udeli (@natNaijaBeauty) has shared a Tweet with you:

"LovingYourHair: In life, there will always be resistance as you ascend upward. Your goal is to love unconditionally and let people find their way."
--http://twitter.com/LovingYourHair/status/14592689152458752

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Moisturizing Your Tresses!

Hey y'all!

Got another natural hair tidbit for ya. I obtained this from from one of my favorite natural hair blog CurlyNikki. Here's a link to the post I saw:

http://www.curlynikki.com/2010/12/keeping-natural-hair-moisturized.html

Enjoy and stay blessed!
nNb :)

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Natural Hair "STYLE" Challenge!

Hey y'all!

The challenge is finally here! The challenge goes from November 28, 2010 - February 19, 2010. This video contains some of the rules and logistics of the challenge. Join me if you can!

Stay blessed,
nNb :)

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Winterizing Your Natural Tresses...

"The recipe for beauty is to have less illusion and more Soul, to retreat from the belief of pain or pleasure in the body into the unchanging calm and glorious freedom of spiritual harmony."

~Mary Baker Eddy

Hey y'all!

I hope the week is going fabulously for everyone! So...if you haven't already noticed, it is starting to get colder outside. With colder temperatures and less humidity, natural hair starts to get SUPER dry! I have been natural since the summer of 2008 and I still struggle with retaining moisture in my hair during the colder months.

Well, during my routine search of my favorite natural hair blogs, I came across this GREAT post about winterizing natural hair. This article has great tips on product usage and optimizing your hair routine so that you don't use anything that will strip your hair. Check out the article here. Hope the article helps y'all retain moisture for the winter...I know it will help me continue to stay fly!! LOL!

peace,

nNb :)

*Video Blog Reflection* 11-15-2010

Hey y'all!

It's been a while since I've done my last video blog, so...

Here 'tis:

Make sure to rate, comment and subscribe!!!

peace,

nNb :)

Natural Hair Challenge!!

"Everything that God created is GOOD...and my kinky hair is no exception!"

~Cherie King

Hey divas/divos!

If you're anything like me, you may get stuck in a hair rut every once in a while...sure the occasional updo is executed, but normally your hairstyle repertoire consists of wash-n-gos and two-strand twists... In order to escape the notorious hair rut, I usually get my hair braided. While braided, I research and finds TONS of cute styles. However, after the braids are removed, I go back to my mundane routine of wash-n-gos and two-strand twists. The sad part is that I encounter natural beauties everywhere I go and I simply LOVE their uniqueness in hairstyling.

I have decided that this madness must END! So...I'm instituting a NATURAL HAIR CHALLENGE FOR 60 DAYS! I will try different hairstyles and upload in a special group on Facebook so that you all can see the styles that I'm rocking...The catch is, I can only wear each style for 2 days (this will help me learn how to protect the styles at night). Hopefully after this challenge, I will no longer be stuck in the funky little hairstyle rut that I'm in and I can finally learn to style my locks!

Here is a website that I will use for inspiration: http://bglhonline.com/gallery-2/

And of course ya gotta accessorize: http://rachelstewart.bigcartel.com/

Anyone is more than welcome to join me in this endeavor. I will post the logistics for the challenge later. As it stands right now, I will create a group on Facebook for anyone that will be interested to participate and share their stories...The challenge will start in about 2 weeks, I'm still gonna rock these braids for a few more weeks...lol!

love -n- peace,

nNb :)

*Reflections* --> Dealing with stressful situations

"Give your stress wings and let it fly away."

~Terri Guillemets

Happy hump day everybody!!!

That's right, it's Wednesday! This time of the week can be very stressful with all the assignments, projects and activities people have on their plates. This is just a friendly reminder that...

THE WEEK IS ALMOST OVER!!!

Things may be stressful but just hang on!!! Remember that everything that you go through was ordained by God to help make you a better person. Don't let difficult situations get you down and make you bitter.

This week is really stressful for me because we have a big service project coming up this Saturday. The bulk of my frustration occured about 30 min ago after one of our team meetings. Although there seems to be a lack of direction during the planning process, I have to remember that things will get better. Once the project is completed, we get to take a step back and look at all of our wonderful work. Take this advice to heart and lets work together to reduce our anger and stress for the rest of the week!

peace,

nNb :)

Why is Violence the "Norm" in Our Society???

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog post are not those of City Year or any of its affiliates. These views are simply mine and I am just using my blog to express MY opinion...

Hey everyone,

Today I feel compelled to comment (vent) about the current epidemic of violence in our society. As you all know, I am a corps member in City Year Detroit for the 2011 FY. I work in one of the roughest public high schools in the city. This week has been a rather challenging week for myself as well as my team. Just this week alone, I witnessed fights as well as heard about fights in the vicinity of the school. I witnessed one of my students get escorted out of the school in handcuffs and lastly, there was a shooting outside of my school today. While talking to some of the students, most of them seemed unfazed by the escalating violence in their school. Even after the shooting, I didn't get a sense of panic and fear from the students, I got a vibe of indifference and apathy. This brings me to my main question: Why is it that our society is so apathetic to the growing violence in our neighborhoods?

The shooting that occurred outside of my school was the result of a fight that escalated to someting more serious. From my observations, students tend to "play-fight" with their friends and slam one another on the floor and horse around until someone actually gets hurt. Once this injury happens, all joking ceases and the students actually begin fighting... Students in the surrounding areas rush towards the location of the fight, often harming one another to get a good view of the fight. The worst part of the entire ordeal is that the "beef" never ends! Once someone is beaten in a one-on-one fight, they call their friends to go back and attack the other person again, sometimes even wielding a weapon! These rivalries are long-lasting and often end up in multiple injuries.

Why we allowing this to happen in our community?! Why can't we as a society, come together and prevent this nonsense from occurring? We tend to care more about the negative influences in the media rather than the positive ones...we have students that can quote entire rap stanzas but struggle to spell words with a difficulty wayy below their grade level. When will this madness end?!

Feel free to respond to my post below, on my twitter (make sure to mention @natNaijabeauty) or on my Facebook (Michelle Nkechi Udeli)

Updates!!!

Hey y'all!

It's been a longgggg time since I've done a post of any sort. To all my followers, I truly apologize for the delay. So much has happened in such a short time span, both good and bad and I am excited to share all of it with you :) Rather than bore y'all with lots and lots of text, I decided to relay the information in the way I do best...you guessed it, VIDEO BLOG POST!!! In addition to this video, I will be doing a lot more blog posting, artist spotlights and I will RESTART and COMPLETE my weight loss journey! So much excitment to come your way so keep it posted!

Here's the vid. Make sure to comment below and follow me on Twitter: @natNaijabeauty :)

Peace -n- love,

nNb :)

Exercise Journal Entry #4

"If you don't do what's best for your body, you're the one who comes up on the short end."

- Julius Erving

Hey lovelies!

So...I know it's been a while since my last journal entry. I had to take a slight hiatus because of a Basic Training Retreat with City Year Detroit! wOOt! I wasn't able to film my weight loss for the week because I didn't really have access to a scale...lol! I got to do a BUNCH of team building and I have to say that this group of people are the COOLEST people I have ever come across! :)

Sidenote: We went to Camp Cavell in the wonderful city of Lexington, MI. The camp site was right off Lake Huron which made for some very lovely pictures!




Back to my weight loss journey...

I do have some good news to report:

I'VE LOST 5 POUNDS SO FAR!!!!!

It may not sound like a lot, but you have to learn to crawl before you can walk... I will do another video shortly to talk more about my regimen.

Peace,
nNb :)

Exercise Journal Entry #3

"Victory belongs to the most preserving."
-Napoleon

Hey y'all!

Here is my third entry for my Exercise Journal!! woot!!! In this entry, I show y'all how I currently look. I also discuss some instructional aids that I will be using to help with my weight loss. I plan to do a video like this each week, so I can show my progress...

Current measurements:
Weight: 195 lbs.
Chest: 40 DDD

I welcome any and everyone to join me in my journey to a better and healthier body. Remember, we are making a lifestyle change...we are NOT dieting! Follow me on twitter for real-time comments on my progress and much more!

Stay blessed!
nNb :)

Exercise Journal Entry #2

"You've got to say, I think that if I keep working at this and want it badly enough I can have it. It's called perseverance." -Lee Iacocca

Heeey y'all!

Here is the second entry into my exercise journal! Enjoy! The vid was shot on my phone so the quality is kind of poor...sorry about that guys! Here's the vid:

Stay blessed!
nNb :)

Exercise Motivational Video

"You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be." - David Viscott

Hey y'all!

As I was chilling and trying to figure out a way to fall asleep, I decided to watch some videos from my favorite videoblogger BeautifulBrwnBabyDol. One of my most favorite videos is her video documenting her total weight loss. It is so inspirational because I often get discouraged when I think about how much weight I have to lose in order to get down to my healthy weight range. Hopefully this video serves as an inspiration for y'all as well. Here's the vid:

Enjoy lovies!
nNb :)

New Exercise Journal...

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence." - Unknown

Hey y'all!

After careful consideration, I've decided to start up my exercise regimen again...Not only am I starting up again, I am also documenting my journey every step of the way. I'm going to call the blogs dedicated to this journey my Exercise Journal. I'm doing this to keep myself motivated as well as accountable for any slip-ups I may have.

This is not just a temporary diet for me, this is a LIFESTYLE CHANGE! During this weight loss period, I plan to learn to eat more healthily, create a workout regimen for daily exercise and I will be documenting the entire process. I will be filming weigh-ins and workout sessions, as well as providing sample meals for myself as well as others...

Here is the intro to my Exercise Journey:

Be blessed!
nNb Y

Mane Chic Michelle

"Natural, beautiful color on the face. We want the casualness of the hair and it's sort of rumpled, you know--but it's done with intention. So it's not just letting your hair go naturally, but we've created the natural." - Donna Karan

Hey fellow curlies!

I'm delighted to say that I was recently featured on one of my favorite natural hair blogs Indulgenceiskey. She started a new segment on her blog entitled Mane Chic (pronounced sheek) and I was blessed to her first feature! To see my feature, click here. Hope y'all enjoy it!

Be blessed,
nNb Y

2 Year Nappiversary Video

Hey curlies!

I finally finished my video documenting my 2 year natural hair journey!!!! While looking through all of my pictures, I got a true understanding of how much my has grown over the years. I am SUPER excited for the years of kinky-haired bliss yet to come! Enjoy the vid!

Peace out curlies!
nNb Y

Video Blog Update!!

Hey lovelies,

Here's a quick update vid that I made yesterday.



Enjoy y'all!
Peace,
nNb Y

Natural Hair Update: 2 YEAR NAPPIVERSARY!!!

"We have the same spiral in our hair as electricity, tornadoes, whirlwinds, DNA and galaxies!"

-Nekhena Evans

Hello my fellow curlies!

I am officially TWO YEARS NATURAL!!! woot! My nappiversary was on July 8th! (yeah, this post is kinda late...)

This journey has had many ups and downs, but I never once regretted freeing my locks from the evil known as the creamy crack...haha! During this year, I took more risks with my hairstyles and went wayy outside of my comfort zone...

While I was in school, I didn't really have time to experiment with my hair the way that I wanted to. Between classes, work and studying, I was lucky if I was able to wash my hair before I passed out. After growing tired of seeing my asymmetrical bedhead hairstyles, I finally decided to take some time and put in kinky twists with the help of good ole' YouTube. (hehe!) I wore that hairstyle for about 1.5 months and then took it down after graduation...Then, the fun began :D

I had more time on my hands, so I watched all kinds of YouTube videos and experimented with some hairstyles...some I liked, others...not so much... Here are a few of the styles that I liked:

Chunky twistout

Pinned up two-strand twists

Chunky two-strand twists

Bantu knot-out with two strand twists

Curly up-do with bang

Wash-n-go that turned out VERY cute!

Twistout

Cute Updo...(tutorial here)

Here's to many more years of beautiful nappyheaded bliss!

Peace,

nNb Y

Hair Tutorial: Cute Two-Strand Twist Updo

Hey lovelies!

I finally finished another hair tutorial...video editing can be a real pain...(haha). This tutorial was inspired by a tutorial that SunShower143 did on YouTube. I thought that the style was uber cute, so I decided to replicate it. She originally did the style using big twists, but I tried it doing with 2-week old micro two- strand twists. The style came out really cute...Next time, I am going to try it using big twists and see if comes out even cuter! Here's my tutorial:

Hope y'all enjoy it! More tutorials to come!

Stay blessed!

nNb Y

The Truth About Baking Soda Hair Concoctions...

Hey y'all!

Ever try to create your own hair concoction to help save some money on products? I know that I have...there are plenty of recipes out on the web for hair moisturizers, conditioners and shampoos that you can make from the things within your kitchen pantry. Some of these recipes can be a godsend, while others can turn out a bit tragic. One of the main ingredients some of the recipes is baking soda.

While I was on my favorite natural hair blog site, I came across a very interesting article about affects that baking soda can have on natural hair. The article was soooo interesting that I decided to post it on here so that everyone to also enjoy it. Click here is the link for the article on NaturallyCurly.com.

Next time that you decide to create your own hair concoction, make sure that you take the time to research the things that you are putting in your hair...it can prevent a lot of pain and anguish later =)

Peace out curlies,

nNb Y

*Artist Spotlight* --> Janelle Monae

"I feel like Harriet Tubman, except I am trying to free people through underground music, to free themselves creatively and inspirationally.” -Janelle Monae

Hey y'all!

After listening to some of my favorite Janelle Monae songs on Pandora Radio, I decided that I wanted to do this edition of Artist Spotlight on the brilliant songstress. Enjoy lovelies!

Janelle Monae Robinson was born on Decemeber 1, 1985 (she is currently 24 years old), in Kansas City, Kansas. She studied theatre at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York. Later on, she moved to Atlanta, GA. where she met up with Big Boi from the group OutKast and founded the Wondaland Arts Society with other young artists.

In the year 2007, Monae released first solo album (which is part of a concept album of four parts or suites) entitled Metropolis: Suite I (The Chase), which was later renamed Metropolis: The Chase Suite (Special Edition), following her collaboration with P. Diddy. The album was well-received and led to a Grammy nomination for her single Many Moons as well as opportunities to open for bands.

Her newest album, entitled The ArchAndroid was recently released on May 18th of this year. Both the 2nd and 3rd suites of the Metropolis concept are combined into this full-length release album (which is SUPER AWESOME, btw!). Here is the main concept for the Metropolis series (from Wikipedia.com):

Monáe's alter-ego, Cindi Mayweather—also the protagonist of Metropolis: The Chase Suite— becomes a messiah-esque figure to the android community of Metropolis. Monáe noted that she plans to shoot a video for each song on The ArchAndroid and create a movie, as well as create a graphic novel for it.

The Metropolis concept series draws inspiration from a wide range of musical, cinematic and other sources, ranging from Alfred Hitchcock to Debussy to Philip K. Dick. However, the series puts Fritz Lang's 1927 silent film Metropolis, which Monáe referred to as "the godfather of science-fiction movies," in special regard. Aside from sharing a name, they also share visual styles (the cover for The ArchAndroid is inspired by the iconic poster for Metropolis), conceptual themes and political goals, using expressionistic future scenarios to examine and explode contemporary ideas of prejudice and class.

Monae does not associate with just one genre of music. Here is what she thinks about the categorization of her music:

"It's the things that you don't do that makes you who you are.”, “Don't put a label on your art, let others decide what they think it is, and while they are deciding or trying to figure out what to call your art and name it, you just continue to do more art.” -Andy Warhol. This quote got to me because as an Artist, people always want to categorize you and say oh, you are in this category, but there is nothing that I limit myself to doing. Categorizing myself will only limit my growth."

To get an idea of her musical style, she is a mix of pretty much afro-punk, funk, dance-punk, Indiie pop, pop, soul and much, much more! Below is a video of my favorite song from her first album Many Moons:

Check her out y'all!

Stay blessed,

nNb Y

Hair Tutorial: Two-Strand Twists!

"To keep my hair the same texture as it grows out of my head is looked at as revolutionary,Why is that?" ~Tracy Thoms "Good Hair"

Hey y'all!

I know it's been a while since my last post... Today I've got a nice treat for everyone! I have FINALLY completed and POSTED my first natural hair tutorial! In this tutorial, I show you how I make micro two-strand twists. This video was originally filmed on May 20th and it took me a couple of days to get it posted (more like a lot of days, hehe!). There are two parts to the video and the end result is in the picture above. The videos are posted on my YouTube channel under naturalNaijabeauty but I also embedded them below. Enjoy lovelies!

Part I:

Part II:

Be blessed!

nNb Y

Fashion Accessories--> Creating Your Own Flower Hair Accessories

"A person is only beautiful, when their own beauty, is reflecting on to others."

- Tara Grady

Hey lovelies!

While I was on one my FAVORITE natural hair blog sites CurlyNikki, I came across a video from one of her users that showed how to make flower accessories. Now if you know me, you'd probably guess that I screamed and became really excited after seeing this video. Since I am both thrifty and fashionable, this video was perfect for me! I often find it hard to find flowers that match the outfits that I wear. Now I can just hop in the car and go to the local fabric store and MAKE MY OWN! YAY! Here's the vid:

Stay Fabulous!

nNb Y

R.I.P. Lena Calhoun Horne

R.I.P. Lena Horne

Lena Horne was born Lena Calhoun Horne on June 30, 1917, in Brooklyn. Her mother, Edna, had an extremely fair complexion, and the hospital staff thought she was Caucasian. Her father, Teddy, wasn't there at her birth -- he was out gambling to win enough money to pay the hospital bill. Her mother pushed Lena into showbiz -- Edna got her hired at age 16 as a chorus girl at Harlem's Cotton Club. Lena had to quit school and become the family breadwinner with a salary of just $25 weekly. She married Lewis Jones young and by age 20 already had a daughter. Soon after she gave birth to a son, Teddy, who died of kidney failure in 1971.

In 1938, Lena was given one of the leads (Ethel) in The Duke is Tops at the suggestion of an agent who had seen her at the Cotton Club. She moved to Hollywood after her divorce from Lewis and was soon discovered by MGM. Lena stipulated in her contract that she would not get stereotypical black roles. In fact, MGM wanted her to look even darker on screen, so Max Factor invented "Little Egyptian" makeup for Lena to serve that purpose.

Lena's first MGM role was as an uncredited nightclub singer in the 1942 Ann Sothern musical Panama Hattie. Some people believe Lena's segment to be the only bright spot in the picture. This appearance went over well, and so MGM gave her a spot in a big all-star revue, Thousands Cheer. There she sang one of her most famous movie numbers, "Honeysuckle Rose." MGM loaned her to 20th Century-Fox for her next film, an all-star all-black musical Stormy Weather. The title song, sung by Lena, became one of her signature numbers. Stormy Weather was her first real acting role.

Most of her 16 film roles in the 1940s and '50s were solo singing spots easily separated from the rest of the film, which could be cut for prejudiced Southern audiences. Lena did have two more great roles in the '40s, though: the sexy, scheming Georgia Brown in Cabin in the Sky (1943) and Julie in the mini-production of "Show Boat" in Till the Clouds Roll By (1946). Ironically, Lena was passed up for the role of Julie in MGM's full 1951 production of Show Boat -- the part was instead given to Ava Gardner.

After MGM's Meet Me in Las Vegas in 1956, Lena became tired of her throwaway "guest" roles in movies and left the movies not to return for 13 years. A year after Vegas, Lena recorded "Lena Horne at the Waldorf-Astoria." It became the best-selling album by any female artist in RCA Victor's history. Since then, Lena has mostly focused on singing. She has performed many concerts and recorded a slew of albums.

She has made a mere three film appearances since 1956: a co-starring role as Claire Quintana in the 1969 Western Death of a Gunfighter, a cameo role as Glinda in The Wiz (1978), and a co-host appearance in 1994's That's Entertainment III. It took a while for the producers of That's Entertainment III to get Lena for the co-host spot. She had been angered by the overt prejudice she encountered during her years at MGM, and would only appear if she could comment on that. The producers said certainly, overjoyed at the chance to get Lena for the role. She accepted, and made a wonderful guest appearance in the under-rated third installment of that series.

She will truly be missed!

Video Blog #3: Kinky Twist Update/Graduation Hairstyles??

Hey lovelies!

Got a new video blog post. This one was captured at 6am so excuse the craziness that is me...lol! Enjoy!

Peace,

nNb Y

Video Blog #2: The Power of Faith and Prayer

I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, "Move from here to there" and it will move.
-Matthew 17:20

Hey y'all!

Brand new edition to the video blog series! Well, actually, this video was taken on 3/09 but I just got the opportunity to upload it :) Finally figured out how to upload my videos onto a computer without having to purchase new video editing software...YAY! Btw, my hair is straight in this video...I couldn't resist the urge to see how long it has grown...no more straightening for meeee!

Peace and love,
nNb Y

New Segment: Video Blog Series!/Blog #1

Hey lovelies!

I've decided to start up a video blog series!! YAY! I don't always have access to a working video camera, but when I do get access, I will post something. I actually made this video last night...couldn't really sleep well, so excuse me if I look kinda sleepy/groggy. Alright, check it out below!

Peace,

nNb Y

*Artist Spotlight* --> Brooke Fraser

I won't find what I am looking for
If I only "see" by keeping score
'Cos I know now you are so much more than arithmetic
'Cos if I add, if I subtract
If I give it all, try to take some back
I've forgotten the freedom that comes from the fact
That you are the Sum
So you are the one
I want
~"Arithmetic" by Brooke Fraser

Hey y'all!

So...after listening to one a worship song from the worship team at Hillsong Church, I heard one of their beautiful songs entitled Hosanna. After I listened to the lyrics and watched the video and YouTube MANY times (lol!), I decided to look up more about that particular song. This is when I learned that Brooke Ligertwood (stage name Brooke Fraser) wrote that version of the song! She has such a beautiful voice! I've heard her lead the worship team in other songs as well, and so I decided to look her up to see if she had made anymore songs recently. Turns out, she also a mainstream recording artist and her music is all over the world! Talk about awesome!

She's got a total of two albums out right now: What to Do with Daylight (2003) and Albertine(2006). She also has another album slated to come out within the next couple of months. One of my favorite songs comes from her first album and it is entitled "Arithmetic". In this song, she is singing about how God is the only one that she wants. I really love this track and I love the music video as well. Check it out below:

Here's another video of her with Hillsong Church singing "Hosanna":

Check her out and tell what you think...comment below!

Peace,
nNb Y

New Segment on Blog: ARTIST SPOTLIGHT!

"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything. "

~Plato

Hey y'all!

I'm baccccccccccccccccccck! It's been a long time, I know...I'm almost done with school...2 more weeks, just bare with me...

I've decided to start a new segment on the blog dedicated to artists that may or may not be well-known. I'm doing this because sometimes you can be soooo into your own music that miss out on chances to hear new music...who knows, maybe one of these artists will be added to your already booming music rotation :)

Peace,

nNb Y

Hair Updates!!! Kinky Twists or Afro Twists

Beauty
I find, in being Black,a thing of "Beauty"; like a joy; a strength; a secret cup of gladness ...a native land in neither time nor place ...a native land in every Black face!
Be loyal to yourselves; your skin; your hair; your lips; your speech; your laughing kinds are Black kingdoms,vast as any other.
-- Ossie Davis





Hey y'all!

It's been a while since I last posted (I'm seriously slacking, lol!). I have decided to give my hair a rest and get some kinky/afro twists soon. Here's the kicker: I plan to do them MYSELF!!! As you can imagine, I have been looking at all sorts of youTube tutorials and pictures to see if this is something that I can actually do...



After looking at some pictures, I think I have narrowed down my hair style selections:

From: Nautrally Leslie (very interesting blog)

http://naturallyleslie.blogspot.com/2009/03/afro-twists-to-rescue.html

I am also interested in the style in the first picture (the one with pinned hair), it looks really cute. Okies, I'll hit y'all up a little later and hopefully I'll have pics of my new hair do.

Peace,

nNb Y

Updates!!!

“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.” --Ashley Smith

Hey y'all!

It's been a minute since I posted my last blog. A lot of things have occurred in my life within the last month... Hope everyone has been doing well...

There have been several ups and downs for me during February. I lost a couple of friendships and I've been getting ready for graduation... I'll post another blog about the friendship problems that I was having a little bit later...

Ok, so graduation is coming up on MAY 1st!!! I'm sooo excited! We found out that President Obama is speaking at our commencement ceremony! This is a really big honor for our school and everyone is super excited about it... My parents are really taking the time to plan out a graduation party for me and I am really excited to have all of my family come together to celebrate with me.

Okies, that's all for the update, I will be posting more blogs more often...

Until next time y'all!

Peace,

nNb Y

WEEKLY CHALLENGE #2: Drink a Gallon of Water Each Day

To insure good health: eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life. --William Londen

Hey hey y'all!

I hope everyone had a fantastic week and weekend! I'm back with a brand new challenge: DRINK A GALLON OF WATER EACH DAY!

Roughly 70% of our bodies are made up of water. I used to think that I drank more than enough glasses of water each day (2 bottles of water per day, lol!) After a while, I found out that I am supposed to drink at LEAST 8 glasses of water a day. To put that in perspective, that is about 64 ounces of water per day. I was drinking about ~34 ounces...yeah, nowhere near enough, huh? I did a little bit more research and realized that I would continue to get dehydrated until I started drinking the correct amount of water for my body type.

I tried to do this challenge on my own a couple of weeks ago, and I failed pretty badly. I found myself guzzling the last 40 ounces of water within 30 min at one time, just to make my goal....not good... This time, I am going to take my time and spread out my consumption so that I am only drinking 10 ounces at 11pm :) That is the reason for this challenge this week!

1 Gallon = 128 ounces (I know it sounds like a lot, but it CAN be done!)

Quick Reference (Use this for the challenge AND after the challenge to keep up your water intake )

Daily Water Requirements: Drink 50-75% of your body weight in ounces. Sedentary people: 50%; Active people: 75%

Example Calculation:
Pounds of body weight 150lbs.
Water requirement from above (75% of body weight for an active person) 112.5 oz
Add for dryness of climate +16 oz.
Add for strenous exercise +16 0z.

Total per day 144.5 oz.
Divide by the number of hours you're awake to find your hourly water requirement:

144.5 ÷ 16 =9 oz.
Therefore, a 150-pound active person who works out should drink 9 oz. of water for each hour awake.

Here's a litle motivation to get you started! :)

10 Reasons to Drink Water

1.) Water is absolutely essential to the human body’s survival. A person can live for about a month without food, but only about a week without water.

2.) Water helps to maintain healthy body weight by increasing metabolism and regulating appetite.

3.) Water leads to increased energy levels. The most common cause of daytime fatigue is actually mild dehydration.

4.) Drinking adequate amounts of water can decrease the risk of certain types of cancers, including colon cancer, bladder cancer, and breast cancer.

5.) For a majority of sufferers, drinking water can significantly reduce joint and/or back pain.

6.) Water leads to overall greater health by flushing out wastes and bacteria that can cause disease.

7.) Water can prevent and alleviate headaches.

8.) Water naturally moisturizes skin and ensures proper cellular formation underneath layers of skin to give it a healthy, glowing appearance.

9.) Water aids in the digestion process and prevents constipation.

10.) Water is the primary mode of transportation for all nutrients in the body and is essential for proper circulation.

WARNING: DO NOT DRINK THE WATER QUICKLY! Drinking too much water too quickly can lead to water intoxication. Water intoxication occurs when water dilutes the sodium level in the bloodstream and causes an imbalance of water in the brain...NOT A GOOD IDEA!

Good luck peeps! As always, comment below for updates, I will be commenting too :)

Peace and love,

nNb Y

WEEKLY CHALLENGE #1: Anonymous Acts of Kindness :)

"You have it easily in your power to increase the sum total of this world's happiness now. How? By giving a few words of sincere appreciation to someone who is lonely or discouraged. Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime.”
--Dale Carnegie

Hi lovelies!

Here is this week's challenge: ANONYMOUS ACTS OF KINDNESS!

The purpose of this challenge is to help others, but the catch is that they cannot know that you did helped them. Many times, I see people help others and then expect a thank you or some type of praise...We need to learn how to do nice things for others without getting any recognition. You should be doing the good deed because you want to help a person out, and get that good and tingly feeling inside :)

GOAL: 3 acts each day!! :)

So...DO NOT wait to be thanked or recognized, just HELP OTHERS!

Some examples may include (but are not limited to...)

• Leaving your change from a purchase at the check out and ask that the cashier credits that to the person behind you...then you leave...
• What can you do with five bucks to make someone's day? Anything that comes to mind, (legal of course) do it! :)
• Express kindness to those who are healing. Go to the hospital and visit sick children. Bring them stuffed animals (they won't know who you are) :)
• Make a SMILE card. Just take some construction paper and stickers and create some at home. Put a motivational quote on them and mention that you just wanted the person to smile. Hand it out to people that you don't know as you walk down the street. :)

These are just some ideas, stretch your imagination as far as it will go. Your goal is to make the person that you help SMILE! :D

Don't forget to update everyone on your progress in the comments box below!

Also, if you are interested in doing this after this week, visit http://www.helpothers.org/ and order some SMILE cards...they are FREE!!!

Peace and blessings,

nNb Y