Hair tips

So I may be a little obsessive about my hair. I put little to no effort into it before leaving the house but I am a loon about keeping it healthy. So I have gathered up a few of my favorite tips for keeping your hair healthy.

▪Only use a deep cleansing shampoo once a week or so.

▪When shampooing your hair start from the base of your neck and lather upwards. This helps add volume!

▪You don't need to apply shampoo to.your ends when you rinse your scalp it washes your ends without stripping all the moisture and damaging them.

▪Use a hair mask once a week. It helps add back nutrients to your hair.

▪Use dry shampoo to extend the time between shampooing. Daily shampooing can strip and ruin your hair causing split ends. It also helps add volume.

▪Use your favorite serum or oil (I use Argan oil) right after you get out of the shower. Just like it helps if you lotion when you get out of the shower this helps lock in the moisture.

▪Try to avoid heat on your hair but when you do use it use a good heat protector.

▪Don't brush it too much when it's still wet. This also causes split ends.

That's it. I hope these tips help you keep your hair healthy.

My ultimate favorite Banana Bread recipe!

If you're like me you love how convenient store bought goodies are. However, I keep feeling more and more turned off by all the additives they put in. I know some of it is to make it stay fresh but I have been making a real effort to find cheap easy to make recipes for my favorite treats.

I have adored banana bread since birth pretty much. But with my nut allergy I can't usually buy store bought stuff because it has walnuts. If you can have walnuts and like them in your banana bread feel free to add some to this recipe! I have so many allergies and sensitivities that I prefer to make grow or raise most of what I eat. I'm blessed to live on a large ranch where that is possible! Anyway down to the nitty gritty here's the recipe for my favorite moist banana bread!

Cook: 1 hour Yield: Makes one loaf.

INGREDIENTS
3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

You don't even need a mixer!

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, cinnamon, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

This recipe is sure to please and the best thing about recipes like this is you can do it with or without nuts or cinnamon. I love customizing my own recipes! Good luck and have fun baking!

Homemade Goodness.

Now I know that people are busy but why do we buy so much stuff pre-made? I have found in most cases that it takes hardly any time at all to make several things at home. I make a lot of homemade soups just with whatever left overs I have. I rarely ever buy chicken and rice soup because even when I'm sick it is just really easy to make and costs about the same but tastes way better! Today I'm trying my hand at homemade banana bread! While making it I thought geez this is easy and the ingredients that go into a loaf cost about a dollar. The loaf is huge and I normally pay about $3.99 per loaf at the grocery store and even then I have to carefully read through all the ingredients to make sure there are no nuts or nutmeg. When you make it from home you know what is in it because you are the one who put it in! I have always loved cooking and baking so maybe I'm partial but I just don't know why people would not do this stuff. I also have the extra push with my allergies but most of what I buy from the grocery store is ingredients. I try to avoid pre-made things. I'm not saying I never eat hamburger helper or I never buy something frozen so I can just microwave it when I get home. But I do make an effort especially on my days off to try making things homemade from scratch. That way I know how long it takes and can allow time during my workweek! I also do shortcut recipe's sometimes. I buy Rhodes frozen bread dough and turn it into many various things. Monkey Bread is a favorite shortcut recipe in my family! What are your favorite homemade or short cut recipes? Post them in the comments. If anyone actually reads this Lol. :)

Tough decisions.

So there comes a time in most adults lives when you have to have conversations about the "What if's" I just had the life support conversation with my husband recently. Thinking back on the conversation now. I feel I could have been a tad more helpful. Basically I said don't pull the plug cause even if like. 01% of people have ever come back from whatever it is. I'm a wacko and usually in the .01% although that's never helped me win the lottery. Then I said I mean like if there's no hope then pull the plug. But don't do it because you think people think you should. You know how I hate it when people act like sheep. So basically all he got from me is hold out hope but not for too long and peer pressure is bad... Heaven help him how does he deal with me. I can't make decisions. I'm used to just pulling the princess card and making others decide for me. Lets just hope he never has to make that decision. Really how do boys deal with me?

Update

So it's been a couple of weeks since my husband and I lost his grandpa. The things that have been hitting us recently are little silly things. It feels weird to cook for just 2 people. It feels weird to shop for groceries and not buy his bricks of cheese and his coffee. Last night my husband and I just sat in the doorway to his room and finally let ourselves feel the overwhelming grief. We both have been feeling guilty for enjoying our one on one time. I know we shouldn't but we have been taking care of one person or another for most of our marriage. I think we forgot how much we enjoyed spending time alone together. Even typing that makes me feel guilty. Don't get me wrong I would give anything to have grandpa back here with us. I keep finding myself saying when grandpa gets back..... Because I think my subconscious has him just on a fishing trip in my mind. I wish he were just on a fishing trip. I miss him like crazy. I miss him when I come home from work and I have nobody asking me how my day was. I miss him when the dogs are running around like loons and there is no grandpa there threatening to ear mark and brand them and bob off their tails. I miss him when I sit at the dining room table and he's not at the head of the table. I miss his old war stories. It's so strange that just a few weeks ago was Christmas and I sat with him after Christmas and listened to all the stories he had remembered through talking to family that day. I just miss him and every time I smile since he passed I feel guilty for being happy. I hope that my husband and I can learn to enjoy living just us together without guilt. I would give anything for a big grandpa hug right about now.

CPAP machines and how to deal with them.

Approximately 3 years ago I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. There are lots of reasons a person could develop sleep apnea. Mine is  from having very small airways and asthma. I came very close to setting a record during my sleep study for times I quit breathing per hour. 152 times per hour was my average before they put a CPAP machine on me. Once the CPAP was on I slept like a baby. I wasn't getting much sleep before and the deepest sleep I went into was just the first stage of R.E.M. most people in that stage still think they are awake. So needless to say I was very tired. The doctors say I could have died at any time because of the strain that was putting on my body. I start by telling you this so that you understand how important it was for me to use a CPAP every night.

Using a CPAP is not an easy thing to get used to. They make noise, you're attached to a machine by a hose all night, they can dry out your mouth and sinuses, it can take a while to find the right mask for you, etc. So I thought I'd share what my issues were and how we eventually solved them.

First issue. I had no place to put it on my side of the bed since my bed is up against the wall. I talked to the place that handles my CPAP equipment and they gave me an extra hose so I could make it longer by connecting the two! My husband also uses a CPAP and we have a lamp with shelves that we use for our machines. They fit perfectly!

My second issue was masks. I have a very small head and face so I wear a size extra small in the masks which limited my choice of masks since they don't all come in extra small. Luckily when I realized that a nasal mask wasn't going to work for me they had one full face mask in extra small. It's actually still a little big but the company that makes this one just started making pediatric sizes! I just always have to call ahead to make sure they order my mask when I need a new one because they don't always keep my size in stock.

Third problem was I am hyper sensitive and have many skin allergies. So, I kept developing a rash on my forehead where the mask touched it. The rash would lighten but not go away by the end of the day. Luckily my brilliant husband came up with a solution. I now wear a thin beanie hat pulled down over my forehead under my mask. Since then I haven't had any rashes! Another problem solved.

Other then that I had some issues with drying out my sinuses and making me get sinus infections more frequently but I have a humidifier in my machine so that just took some trial and error with figuring out what setting worked best for me. Also I now apply Chapstick 8 hour hydration lock every night before bed to keep my lips from drying out. http://www.luvocracy.com/tuffygirl52/recommendations/chapstick-hydration-lock

Those were my issues and it took some time but I now can't even think about sleeping without my machine! I know it's a hard adjustment for anyone getting used to one but there are ways to figure it out and it's amazing how much better I feel now that I am not always sleepy. There is some maintenance with these machines but it's pretty minimal. I wash my mask and change my filters on a weekly basis. We get new tubes filters masks and water basins as needed through our sleep medicine company. Our insurance covers all of it. It may feel like a huge adjustment in the beginning but it quickly becomes a part of your routine and it takes like a minute at night to add water and get my mask on. I'm even so used to the noise that if my husband takes his off at night I wake right up! Good luck to anyone starting this journey. It can be daunting at first but it is well worth it!

NYC Big Bold Plumping Lip Gloss Review

I am admittedly a lip gloss addict. I own about 40-50 different lip glosses. So, it's a big deal when I love one kind in particular. This stuff is great! It tastes great, plumps my lips, and is a great consistency not too slippery or too sticky. They have a pretty good color range. I love the applicator! It is a doe foot applicator but it's extra big. I'm not sure if that would be an issue for people with smaller lips. I think the shape still allows for precise application! I love the mauve color! It is almost a nude for me. Like my lips but better! These are also super inexpensive. You can even find them at some grocery stores! Try it out! 

http://www.luvocracy.com/tuffygirl52/recommendations/new-york-color-big-bold-gloss

Processing

Well the family left today. We had a nice visit with them but now my husband and I are left to process. How do we begin to live in this house without grandpa? What will we do without him here to take care of? I feel like time has slowed down. I can't bring myself to look at or sit in his chair. I think of all the questions I wanted to ask him about the farm. I try to remember everything he taught me. but mostly I'm trying not to cry so I don't make my husband sad. I have had a bad migraine ever since he passed. I don't know when I will fully break down but I feel like when I do I will feel better. I know I need to cry about it but I just can't bring myself to do it. I keep going and cleaning or doing laundry to keep my mind off of it. I promise to have a more positive blog post soon. Sorry 

Pointless feuds

What is the point in having a feud with someone? You either like someone or you don't. If you don't get along nobody can make you like each other. So at this point you would just avoid each other. In some cases you have similar friends or your related in someway to the person you don't like. In that case you can't always avoid contact so the next solution would be to make an attempt to be civil and just don't make it awkward for those who love you and the person your feuding with. I have had so much experience in this area because I have relatives who don't get along. I've had a few friendships end. And I frequently don't approve of people my brothers are involved with. Luckily for them I rock the civil thing pretty well. I am Irish so sometimes my temper gets the best of me. But if you are ever in this situation please try not to hurt people you do care about through your actions towards the one you really don't care about. It's hard sometimes to be adults but sometimes you have to tell yourself to suck it up buttercup! If all else fails walk a mile in their shoes that way you are a mile away and they have no shoes! Or kick them in the gills. ;p