From The Garden to the Dinner Plate

    

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I grew up in the rural south, so it was normal for me to see people with vegetable gardens. As an adult I decided that I would put a garden in my back yard just like alot of my friends and relatives in my hometown. Last summer, I discovered that it was harder than I thought after a failed attempt with tomatoes and cabbage. This year I relied on my family to help me with my garden. It is not as large as the ones I remember back home but I would say that this season has been a success. The thing that I took away for this growing season is that gardening is not as easy as my family made it seem. I also marveled at how things could grow from a small seed into an edible vegetable. Today, most people have gardens to supplement what they buy at the grocery store. I realize that many people take for granted the special attention that each vegetable endures before it ends up in their grocery bag. So this growing season I am just thankful that I got to “harvest the fruits of my labor” literally.

            I  think that  I  will  continue the  tradition  of  having  a  garden  for  5 simple  reasons….

1. Economical I  do not   spend large  amounts of money at the  grocery  store  on  fresh  produce.

2. Location Location Location You  can’t get  more  locally  grown  vegetables  than from  your own  back  yard.

3.Health With new vegetables  ripening  every  week I  am  forced to  eat  the  veggies  as  soon  as  pick  them!

4. Go  green!this  is  my  way  of  reducing  my carbon  foot print  because  I  am consuming  less produce  that  is  picked,  processed,  and   driven  to supermarket.

5. Tradition I  want to  continue the  tradition  of  having  a   garden  in  my  own  back  yard. It is nice to have a small reminder of home.

I saved $67 dollars at on my Grocery Bill!

       I just needed to shout from the roof top that its possible to save money on food! My main reason for wanting to save money on grocery is because I think of going to the grocery store as important as an electric bill or cable  bill. I  began to  feel as  all  my  spending  money  was  going to  buy  groceries, so I decided to take matters in my own hands.

      Last saturday  was my first time experincing the savings at the store. I went to my local Bi -Lo because they double coupons up to a $1. I then purchased items that were on sale with my Bi Lo Bouns Card .  This way I doubled my savings. Bi Lo also offers .05 cents off at the gas pump so by the end of my shopping trip  I got .50 cents  off of every gallon of gas at my local gas station! Before my coupons and bonus card my grocery bill was $203 the ending balance was $136!!! Here are step by step instructions on how you can save too.

 

1. Get  Coupons –     Sunday  papers  are a great  source  for  coupons   the  amount  of  coupons  inside  pay  for the  paper  easily  in  one  shopping  trip. You can  also  download   coupon  apps  to  your  Smartphone  and  search  the  internet  for   free   coupons.
2. Sales – Check for sales at your local store match  the  coupons  you  want  to  use  to the  sale  items  in the  circular  or  check  the  store’s ad  online.
3. Use your loyalty card-  Shop  at  stores  that  give  you  money  off  for  shopping  when  using   their  store  card.
4. Check   coupon  policy – every  stores  policy  is  different  the  best  ones   are the  ones  that  double   their coupons  so   you   get   bigger  saving.
5. Be patient and organized –develop a system that makes shopping with coupons easy.

 

Share your coupon savings  stories!!!!

Small Business Solutions

     Recently  a  personal  friend  and  fellow  blogger   started  a  service  to  greatly   benefit   small  businesses.  As  an  avid  internet  browser,  I  use   the  internet  as  a  source  to  find  products  and  services  both  locally  and  globally . From the  appearance  of  a   website I  make split  second decisions  as  whether  to  contact  the  vendor  or to  continue  looking  for  another company.

     Webeffectx is  an  awesome  opportunity  for  small  businesses to  reach  an  unlimited  amount  of  potential  customers. The  great  thing  about  this  company  is  they  will build  your  site  and  customize  it to  fit  your  needs . If you   would like periodic maintence performed, information updated,   images posted and graphic changes they can do it all.  You’ll  receive a  one  on  one   connection  with  your  developer  from  beginning to  end contact info@webeffectx.com .

My Trial with Natural Hair

The  last  time  we  spoke I  was  ranting about  how  I  had  straight pieces  in  my  natural  hair  because  I  had  no  ideal  straightening  my  hair  would  cause permanent damage. This  past  week  I  took the  walk  of  shame to  a  local  barber  shop to  get  my  afro  shaped  and  up  ad  looking healthy  again.   I  told the  gentleman  that  I wanted  to  have the  straight  pieces  trimmed; and  my  fro  nice  and  round  so that  I  could wear  that  style. Unbeknownst  to me  I  left  we  a  cut  and  feeling  very  manly. I  was  devastated and  had  no  idea l  what  I  was  going to  do. I  thought  about  every  course  of  action to  remedy  the  fact  that  I  had  no  hair!!!! After  determining that  wigs ,  quick  weaves,  and  wearing  scarves  until  my  hair  grew  out  was  completely  out of the  question,  I  determined  that  I  was  just  going to  pretend that  I did  this  on  purpose.

I  went  on a  weekend  long hiatus to  prepare  to  face the  world  with  a  bold  new  look . I purchased large earrings.  I  gave  myself  a  much  needed  mani  and  pedi and  made  sure that  my  makeup  looked  radiant.

          On Monday  morning  I  got  rave  reviews  about my  hair  cut  and  I  have  grown into  the  style. However,  I want  my  hair to   grow  back  as  quickly  as possible. I  have begun  a  hair  care  regimen  of organic  products  from a  natural  hair  care  line  from Target  called  “Shea  Moisture”  it  leaves  my  hair  feeling  soft  and  full  of  body and it  smells  great!!!!

          I’ll  keep  you  informed  and  let you  know  if  my  hair  actually  grows  from this  product.

Going Natural Its a Tiresome Thing.

 

I’ve  had  natural  hair  for  over  a  year  and  was  doing  quite  well  maintaining  my  little  fro . Or so I thought. I  recently  got  a  new  job;  so  to  fit  into corporate America  and  not  draw  too  much  attention to  myself  (negative  or  positive)  I  decided to  straighten  my  hair. Little  did  I  know  that  would  be  my  down  fall.

I’ve  been  going to  a  nice  Dominican  shop to  do  blow  outs. They take a blow dryer and a brush and work miracles. It looked  great  and I  was  so  happy that  I  did  not have to  get  a  perm.  The style lasted for approximately three weeks. After I  washed  my hair  I  noticed  that  some  pieces  did  not  go back to the  natural  kinky  state, I  tried  washing it  several  different  times  and  have worn  braids . I  even  did  a  flat  iron  a couple  of times  as  well. This  week  I  finally  got the  courage to  wear  my little  fro. To  my  dismay  once I  washed  it ,  my  hair looked like  I  had  stuck  my  finger  in  an  electrical  socket. I  had  straight pieces  that  would not  lay  correctly  with  my  normal  nappy  texture. After  doing a  little  research  I  discovered  that  blow  outs and  flat  irons  straighten  some  pieces. Who  knew?!?! Unfortunately,  I  am  doing the  walk of  shame to the  barber shop to  get the straight  pieces  cut out and to make  my  little  afro  even  smaller.

Now  I  am  going to  have to  start  a  restoration  process  to  nurse  my  hair  back  to  a  healthy  state. I  want  a  little  versatility  as  well, I  want to  be  able to  do  some  different things to  my  hair  without having to  wear it in  limited styles . Help!!!!! I desperately  need some  new ideas that  wont  damage my  hair.

All About the Couple

All  about the  is  an evaluation  of  who  you and  your fiancé  are,  and what  you  want  on  your  special  day  take  time and  think  about  it together  your  responses  might  be  shocking and  compromise might be a  result in the  future. Happy  Planning!!!!

Take a brief moment to think about some things that are important to your wedding and fill out your responses? This is to aid you in initial wedding planning. You do not have to go into detail about each question.

Size

What size is your expected wedding party small, medium, large, or extra large? Give an estimate of your complete party.

What is your estimated guest attendance? Is the going to be a by-invitation-only ceremony or reception?

Location

Where is your ideal location for the ceremony and reception?

Cost

What can you afford to spend on the ceremony and reception?

Customs

What are important customs and rituals that must be incorporated into the ceremony?

Themes

What is the overall theme of your wedding? What would you like your guest to learn about you from their experience?

 

Additional Comments and Notes

So We’ve Decided to Spend the Rest of Our Lives Together

Congratulations!

You and Mr. Wonderful have finally decided to take that step into holy matrimony. Among all the happiness surrounded by a wedding there are also frustrations and stress. Every woman wants her day to be perfect. Here are some tips on how to keep your sanity during the planning process and make this a fun filled experience

1. 1.       Find Yourselves

Planning to spend your life with someone brings an automatic evaluation of who you are as an individual; and who you will become as a couple. Recognize that although you guys will soon be joined at the hip; neither of you are mind readers. Discuss general things like how much input he would like to have during the planning process. Ladies, it is the 21^st century and some hubby’s- to-be want hands on influence during the creative process. The size of the wedding, Location, reception venues, and significant customs (i.e. unity candle ceremony, jumping of the broom, first dance) should be discussed to determine what is important.

1. 2.       Recognize this is 100% your day.

Let’s face it there is no way to please everyone. It is important to focus on what you want when creating your vision. Advice is great when solicited but it should ALWAYS be given and received in a constructive manner. Find a polite way to let your family and friends know what you want. Your family loves you; they will naturally want to create happy memories for you.

 

1. 3.       Determine how much you can handle.

I know you want control over EVERYTHING but with hectic schedules taking on the planning of a wedding can be overwhelming. Surround yourself with HELP! Find responsible organized people you trust to assist you in carrying out your vision.

1. 4.       Budget

Planning a budget is the first step to making good decisions on your wedding. Wedding supplies and materials have inflated cost; the industry recognizes a bride will do everything in her power to make this day special and beautiful. Although this wedding symbolizes the most important day of your life remember the real journey begins after the ceremony. Wiping out your savings is never recommended. There will be plenty of other occasions you and your husband will need to plan for such as home ownership, children, and family vacations.

1. 5.       Develop your theme

 

The wedding is a reflection of the couple’s taste. Everything from the color scheme, flowers, and attire should reflect your personality. There are many ways to apply themes. Color patterns, flower’s and music are methods for conveying your ideas. Once your theme is established then your search for supplies begins.