Pick 6| Fall 2017

Better late than never right? Winter is basically over (not that mother nature got word of it) and I'm ready for Spring to ... spring. But before we move on, let's dive into some of the items from Fall that left a good impression on me.

Hair| Cantu for kids leave in condition
Button's hair loves moisture, as most of our tresses do. I've decided to revisit a product that I hadn't used since my college years. Her hair of course love water but with this product, her curls P-O-P.






Fashion| Denim Tops
I spent Fall dressing what I considered to be comfy cute. Thanks to my denim tops, I've been able to easily throw together an outfit and still be comfortable as I transition from day to night. I love Ava & Viv's denim tunics and button downs as they are long, loose and easy to iron. I wear them with dress slacks, leggings or skinny jeans.

Beauty & Skin| Kemi Organics Oyl
I was introduced to Kemi Oyl via an event's swag bag few years back and honestly forgot about it. I rediscovered it right before the start of Fall and started incorporating it in my hair and body oil mix. This oil blend mixed with what I normally use leaves my hair soft before I even add a cream conditioner. Not to mention, the fragrance is wonderful.




Accessories| Hematite Ring
I've been researching energy crystals/stones, their properties and benefits for a while and this Fall, added a hematite ring to my arsenal. Hematite is a stone that has been known to convert negative vibes/energy into positive vibes as well has help calm people during stressful moments. 
I have relied on this ring almost as much as my worry stone during times of anxiety and keep it close by for meditation. It now isn't so much an accessories but a necessity.





Random| Sweet Potatoes
I know I'm not to the only one that associates sweet potato with Fall. In all actuality, I eat them year round but this Fall I cranked it up and enjoyed many meat free meals that consisted of a sweet potato mash, spinach and basmati rice. They played savory role in my meals seasoning them with salt, pepper and garlic.




Share with me! What have been your recent faves? 

Farewell 2017| Memorable Moments

So, we're at the end of 2017. We can take this book, close it, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it under the bed behind that box of notes that we're holding onto from years ago but don't want to toss because we don't want anyone to have access to this information in them.





Aside from some of the more trivial and disappointing moments in 2017, I'd like to again share my most memorable moments of 2017: 

The Evolution of Baby Girl Button
Button is 2 and this was the year of her coming [somewhat] into her own. It has been interesting watching her learn, explore and observe. Along with that, watching her personality develop. 
Parenthood is not an easy hood to live in (I knew this well before the thought even crossed my mind to be one) but watching and helping a little human grow and being able to assist them in the process gives some assurance that it is working.

Reclaiming Confidence
In my 30s, I have become more and more socially awkward; not wanting to be around people or wanting to be around people but not knowing how to contribute to the atmosphere socially which makes me [again]  not want to be around people. I have been struggling with this and I'm not sure what happened but I believe it is due to lack of self confidence. 
Not sure the cause however, I have done a few things in attempts to help with this including taking baby steps to put myself back out there and it has helped to rebuild myself in a way.

Job Transition
After 10yrs in the same profession, I was given an opportunity move to another company. Even though I was getting to the point of "oh, I'm comfortable where I am", I put in my 2 weeks notice. I have been with the new company for 9 months and it is refreshing learn new skills, being given the ability to assist in development and 

What are some of your memorable moments from 2017 and what are you looking forward to in 2018?

Motivation Monday| Social Media

We know social media drives a lot of lives; whether it be yours or people you know. Lot of us take time out of our day to stroll down timelines on Facebook, view the visual art that is Instagram, catch up on what is happening now on Twitter, watch reality on Snapchat or whatever other sites you have access to. 

In a small attempt to keep a positive flow of energy going, I use some of these outlets to post quotes from empowering, motivation and memorable people. 

I'm not a big fan of constantly posting on social media however, thanks to Snapchat and [the shady but cool feature that is] Insta-Snap (or whatever it is called) I post there:

Insta handle - creatively_coiled

What are your favorite types of post on social media?

Ancestry| Tracking Our Lineage

A few years ago, my sister and I talked about tracking our family tree and lineage. While the thought was awesome, it was difficult knowing where to start. With the bit of research we were able to do then, we found a few names and following names, tracked our lineage back to Nigeria. But other than that, we found limited information on our family (ie: names, US location, etc.)

2017 lit a fire under my sister again to start researching; looking at county census and speaking with our parents and grandmother to obtain and confirm information. My sister really hit gold with finding family signatures and tracking children she was able to trace our family back to the early 1800's... Which is more than what we recovered previously.

While confirming names with relatives, we also decided to take an ancestry.com DNA analysis: This requires a saliva sample that is sent off for analysis to identify the region(s) your ancestry is strongest in. 

Well, we received the results in April and discovered that we [of course] are of African decent (87%):

• 45% - Ivory Coast/Ghana
• 21% - Cameroon/Congo
• 8% - Nigeria

We also discovered that of the information reported so far, our family has not ventured too far from the East Coast of the US (NC, VA, DC, MD, VA, NY). This helped us confirm some family members by location to confirm that what my sister previously uncovered were the right records. 

So we know that our lineage is strong in West Africa which means that we were on the right track a few years ago when looking but gives much more than what we were able to find. 

Things to know about DNA analysis: 

• The results may vary from test to test - We used Ancestry DNA however, if we were to take another from a different service it is possible that the result will be different
• Siblings can carry different numbers - Siblings carry a difference percentage of DNA from both parents so your siblings results will of course be different from yours. We only sent in one sample may do it again to compare the results.

Are you tracking your family tree or thought about it? Have you submitted a DNA analysis to any sites? 

Let me know!

Flashback Friday| Then & Now

Happy Friday!

Sharing photos from Easter past and present of my little lady. 

PROGRESS IS EVERYTHING!!

2016 to 2017

Little-miss-ma'am is a busy body and will probably be walking alongside us in the March for Babies walk next Saturday.

Want to know more about her story and how you can help families and premature little ones?

♡CLICK HERE♡

#WalkForButton 

Humble Beginnings...

I can look back and smile at the progress that Button has made.

I shared last year the story of our little lady coming into this world at 24 weeks and 6 days and how it was a trying time for my husband and I.

Those days seem so long ago as Button is almost 2! I sometimes look back at trinkets and pictures from her younger months and sit in disbelief because she is doing so well physically and mentally (Praise him!).

With help from the man upstairs as well as the hospital staff at Duke ICN, TCN and March of Dimes we can look back on her humble beginning and smile.



Want to know more about premature birth and how you can help support babies and families?

♡♡♡♡CLICK HERE♡♡♡♡

Pick 6 - Summer '16

Fall is in full swing and I have yet to share my favorite items from Summer '16. 

Let's jump in!

Hair| Mango Butter 
In my opinion, this butter is pricey however, the smell and the fact that I can mix small amounts of it with my whipped shea butter mix to stretch it makes is worth it. It is also a very sleek butter.




Fashion| Sinful Colors  "Poisonberry"
I love love L♡VE this polish. I rarely polish my finger nails but this summer I used this color when I was feeling fancy. Sinful Colors is such a reasonably priced polish that [in my opinion] has great coverage; two coats and im good to go.





Beauty| Nicka K - True Matte "Millbrook"
I have never been big on lip colors because I feel like I could never find a color that looked decent on me. A co-worker introduced me to this beauty store brand. The color lasts for most of the day. My only con is that it leaves your lips feeling tacky after it dries... but just put gloss on top and you're good.





Skin| Charcoal mask
A Dollar Tree find from a few months ago; when I have those pamper moments to myself at night, I steal away in the bathroom to do my nails and put on this mask. It's creamy, doesn't dry too tight and doesn't leave your skin feeling dry when you remove it.





Accessories| Frames
I'm still obsessed with frames and keep a lookout for different types. I refuse to spend more that 10 bucks on them so my favorite places to go are beauty supply stores (I can usually buy 2 for 10). 









Random| Glad Angel Whispers air freshener
I originally lucked up on this fragrance at Dollar Tree and when I realized how awesome is smelled, went back and purchased ALL that were left. I later found out that this is in fact a popular smell and DT was not able to stock it again (whomp whomp). I do find this at other stores so all is not lost. Angel Whispers is a soft clean smell and can be placed in any room in the house. I love to have it in the little ones room and at work. 

Flashback Friday| No more leads #NICUGRAD

After 91 days of hospitalization, I was more than excited to find out that Button would finally be coming home. We cleaned and prepped her room (for the most part) in preparation however, my excitement immediately turn into anxiety on the day of her discharge as the nurse removed the last cardiac monitoring lead from our little girls body...

...No more beeps... Or monitor watching her heart rate... No more hospital alarms...

I was so use to these noises that it became the norm. So those 1st few moments of just silence in our little corner of TCN were joyous yet scarey. "How do I know if she's OK without the monitors to watch?".

This was a reoccurring feeling when we were home as well: skin to skin time was usually quiet with TVs off So I could hear her breathing.

I am happy to say the Button is thriving thankfully without medications or machines and brings us so much joy and laugter (literally, she laughs now and it's contagious). 

Pick 6| Winter

Hello loves! Springs has sprung in a sense so I wanted to share my favorites from Winter:

Hair| Whipped Shea Butter
This item is nothing new to the blog as I have shared the recipe on how to make this lovely whipped shea butter and talked about it in previous Pick 6 Posts. I use it on my hair and body a lot during the colder months for conditioning. Want to know how to create it? CLICK HERE

Fashion| Joggers
I am pretty frumpy when I don't have to leave the house but when we have company over... I try to look semi decent. Joggers help me achieve this. I have found them at Target and Rose's (a store similar to Ross and Marshalls). I have an Aztec print, dark and light grey pair that stay in heavy rotation.







Beauty| Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes.The best mascara I have used so far. It really defines my lashes. Also, I am "multiple application" gal and it makes my lashes look great.

Skin| Facial Brush
Such a simple product makes such a difference. I purchased this from Dollar Tree in a recent haul (Click Here to view my recent haul) and have been using it very often. I rub it on my black soap bar and scrub my face at the end of the day for some deep cleaning.






Accessories|Nude polishes
I like more natural nail colors during the colder months, so I lean towards nude polishes. I have a few from various brands (Sally Hanson, essie, and charming charlies) but my favorite is "Over The Taupe" by opi. I've have been using this up when I have my pampering days.





Random| Baby's First Years Bottle Warmer
This item is a God send. When it was given to us I had no clue that I would end up using it as often but this really comes in handy for those middle of the night feedings. I load up a cooler with Button's milk and take it upstairs for the night and this warmer sits right on the nightstand. I can changer her diaper and the bottle is warm by the time I have finished.


So, what items were you loving on this Winter?

Flashback Friday| "I'm going to be a mom!"

Happy April to all! As usual lately, I'm up early feeding Button... Oh, who is Button? She is my pint-size super hero.

Around this time last year hubby and I discovered that we were going to be parents. What a discovering right?! So excited and intrigued with the unknown:

• Girl or Boy?
• Hubby's smile?
• My personality?
• Will we be good parents?

Minds were racing wondering what was in store for our to-be party of 3. We kept Button a secret from many for as long as she would allow us (24 weeks and 4 days to be exact)...

With our due not being until November 30th, we were thrown for a loop when Button made her entrance on August 13th. 

Want to know more about our story? 

●●●CLICK HER●●●

No Fast Food February| Update

UPDATE



Hello, back and give an update on the February challenge of not eating takeout food whatsoever...

I DIDN'T MAKE IT
*hangs head in shame...not really*

Of the 29 days I made it 19 without any sort of fast food or takeout. The temptation was real and at times it slipped my mind that I was suppose to go without:

• Invitation to go out for sushi
• Kind gesture of someone bringing buying fries
• ...or pizza...
• ...or ice cream...

Yeah, it was a bust however, I will say that I'm better off than I was 2yrs ago because I'm not compelled to buy a "quick meal" to combat hungry.

Avoid the easy way out (ie: fast food) has helped me realize that I'm an OK cook and I don't always need a recipe to follow to create a meal.

Aaaanywho... two meals that I really enjoyed to during the challenge and actually made multiple times in February were:

Vegetable stir-fry 

Spinach panini with creamy chicken soup

Even though the challenge is over and I failed miserably, I am still working on it because it helps save money by forcing me to cook what is already home and not allowing groceries to spoil. 

Did you participate in #NoFastFoodFebruary or any other monthly challenge?

Easy DIY| Headband/Bracelet Holder

Attempting to organize Baby Girl Button's room (yes, she had been home for almost 3 months and we're still getting her space together) I am already building up a collection of headbands but no place to store them so, I got the idea to make a holder for them. I have created this before to store my bracelets and figured "why not use the same concept for headbands?"

Items you will need:

• Toilet paper and/or paper towel rolls
• Duct Tape
• *optional* rocks, sand or something weighted for the base

Easy list right? 

Lets get Started!

1  I chose to use one paper towel and 2 toilet tissue rolls. I inserted the 2 toilet tissue rolls into each other to get the desired height for the holder. Once that was accomplished, I wrapped duct tape around it to secure them together. 

2 Now that the base is together, I set the paper towel roll horizontally and attempt to make it line up evenly on the base. Once I have it set evenly, I duct tape it to the base.

3 LAST STEP! Now you duct tape the entire piece. I decided to use white tape for the base and then pink on top as the pick tape was pretty thin.

*Optional Step* I put rocks in a bag and inserted it in the bottom of the holder then taped the bottom closed so helps keep it steady.

There you have it. The easiest DIY project I have ever done. I know this has been circulating on social media for years now but wanted to share in case there is someone out there looking for inspiration to create. It may just take one simple project to get your gears turning. 

Soul Food| Food For Thought

Fried chicken, collard greens, ham, yams and biscuits are just some of the food that come to mind when I hear someone talk about Soul Food.

In my attempts to stay on point with the #NoFastFoodFebruary challenge, I went to the web for inspiration on meal ideas and stumbled across the PBS documentary Soul Food Junkie. This documentary looks into the culture of southern cuisine and the impact it has had on the health and food choices in black communities.

Near the end of the documentary, a point was made that soul food is not necessarily the "traditional" southern foods or meals we think of BUT can be any food/meal that you find to be delicious or "good to your soul".

So, with ALL OF THAT being said... What food is good to YOUR soul? What meals are staples in you household?

Mine would have to be...

Spaghetti

I know it seems simple but I load it down spinach, peppers, squash, zucchini and onions. For our meat, I use turkey sausage and regular ground turkey. And lastly, whole grain spaghetti noodles.
This dish is made at least once a month and I make enough to last a few day so I have some to take to work and still eat for dinner. I love this meal because it is so simple to make however, over the years I've adjusted it from what i grew up eating.

No Fast Food February

It's that time again!!!

February is coming and I'm attempting to do the #NoFastFoodFebruary challenge again this year.

In short, the idea of No Fast Food February is to avoid  take out food of any sort for the entire month. While accepting this chanllenge, I plan to share meals and recipes with you to give a glimpse into the domestic side of Creatively Coiled.

( Click >>> here <<< to view some of last years meal ideas)

Care to join me?

Well c'mon! Use the Hashtag #NoFastFoodFebruary on Instagram and share your meal ideas and recipes. 

Ready... Set...Go!

Motivation/Music Monday

Hey hey!

Wanted to come and spread some positive energy and/or motivation:

The past few months have brought on new things for hubby and I; by far the most challenging phase we've had (and trust, we have not lived on "Easy Street").

For me, staying positive is hard because I'm a worry wart and have been for many years. What balances me out? My husband. He is strong even in our scariest moments and is always there telling me "WE GOT THIS". His faith is so strong and I aspire to be in that same place.

I AM A WORK IN PROGRESS

Something else that helps me exude positive energy or motivation is music as it has a way of pulling on your emotional strings. Whether I'm looking to be calm, hype, serene... I have songs that will help take me there.

My motivational song of choice for the past few months has been and still is, is Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds". 

The lyrics are repetitive HOWEVER the message is clear:

"Don't worry, about a thing. Because every little thing, gonna be all right..."

This is my reminder that we can't stress over things out of our control. You do what you can and have faith that things will turn out in your favor.

I'm not saying that this fixes things for me but this is a start to take my mind to a calmer place.

Let me know your song(s) of motivation.

No Fast Food February UPDATE

February has come and gone so, I wanted to come and give you my...

UPDATE

I honestly enjoyed this challenge as it forced me to really plan out our meals: prepping food a day in advance and going into my recipe box to pull out some recipes that I hadn't used in a while. Along with this challenge, we tried our best to prepare meals that consisted of fresh produce so there was a lot of fresh veggies filling the fridge and with there being more fresh food, we were more moved to go ahead and actually cook and eat so none of it would go to waste.

With the cold weather taking over the month, comfort food was the name of the game: 

Pictures Clockwise: Grilled peppers and onions (rice not pictured).
Turkey Kielbasa, peppers, potatos and onions.
Buffalo chicken, broccoli, cheese and potatoes.
Turkey chili.

We enjoyed a lot of hearty meals throughout the month and had the opportunity to take a crack at making a soup (mind you, this is was a very random soup where I literally just purchased broth and veggies...Chopped 'em up and threw them in a pot... It turned out yummy):

Shared via Instagram

Shared via Instagram

With all of this being said. I am sad to report that I only made it 14 days straight without any fast food (insert sad face here). See, what had happened was...Sir and I hit the town and on Valentine's night and had all the intentions of coming home and preparing a meal HOWEVER, mother nature saw fit to hit Wake County with winds so harsh that when we arrived home, our power was out. 

All in all, we had takeout food 5 times last month...Which to me, was still good although I would have loved to complete the full 28 days with just home cooked meals. This was easy on the pockets and helped us clean out the fridge and actually start eating more of what we purchased. 

I will be trying this again. 

Did you participate in #NoFastFoodFebruary? If so, did you make it through the month?

-creatively coiled