Monday, May 25, 2015

A Braid and an Announcement

   Summer is officially here, y'all. That means HOT weather and looking for ways to get your hair off your neck. One of the quickest ways to do that is with a ponytail. I, however, am not a big fan of ponytails. They're kind of dull and run-of-the-mill. But if you add a braid that changes everything!
   So that's what I've done. I took your everyday ponytail and freshened it up with a four-stranded lace braid. Lace braids were introduced last month in Leia's headband braid. Today's braid uses the same concept but on a four-stranded (4-S)  braid. First I'll tell y'all how to do a basic four-stranded then how to lace 4-S  braid, OK?

To 4-S braid begin by dividing desired amount of hair into 4 equal-ish pieces of hair: 2 middle pieces, a right outside piece, & a left outside piece. Then cross the right outside piece over the closest middle piece and under the next middle piece. The right outside piece now becomes a middle piece. Now take the left outside piece and cross it under the closest middle piece. Then cross it over the next middle piece. The left outside piece now becomes a middle piece as well. Repeat these steps until braid is done.

    Y'all got that? It' basically over, under from one side; then under, over from the other. Now for the ponytail itself!


The 4-S Lace Braided Ponytail 

1- Brush hair and part on the side
2- On the side with more hair, pick up a descent size section of hair and divide into 4 pieces
3- Do the first part of a 4-S braid(see above)
4- Before you cross the new outside piece closest to your face, add some more hair to it. Then continue as before.
5- Repeat step 4 until just past ear
6- If you braided correctly, you should  have one piece of hair that is much smaller than the rest. At this point, add enough hair to it so that it's the same size as the others
7- Now finish with a regular 4-S braid and secure it, along with the rest of your hair, in a ponytail


   

   If you need help, just leave a comment.

   Whew! Now that I'm done with that, on to the announcement!  This summer I'll be taking the three months and spending them entirely on their own topics. For example, July will be Born Again month, and I'll posting only about that topic during July. June and August will be the months for Books and Braids, though I'm not sure which will be which yet. Anyway, thanks for sticking around long enough to read all this. 

Monday, May 18, 2015

One of my Favorite Series: Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley

   Sabrina and Daphne Grimm are the last living descendants of the Brothers Grimm. Yes, as in the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales, only those fairy tales aren't actually bedtime stories. They're historical records of true stories written to warn the world about what's out there. Obviously, it hasn't worked. The Everafters, as the fairy tale characters prefer to be called, now mostly live in a small New York town. The Sisters Grimm books track Sabrina and Daphne while they learn about their heritage as fairy tale detectives, Everafters, and how to save the world.
Warning: These books will completely ruin fairy tales for you, even though they include a host of wonderful side characters (such as Puck from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, the Big Bad Wolf, and Snow White).
   Available at Amazon, Thriftbooks ,and through Sequoyah Regional Library System.      

Monday, May 4, 2015

What are You Going to Do? Part 2

   Now you have made your choice. You are (hopefully) carrying the real cross. That cross can change so much; it has changed so much already. But we must do something with it.

   But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 
- James 1:22
   For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. 
-James 2:26

   Dead faith is worthless. To just believe in God is not enough.(See James 2:19-20) If we only hear the Word and don't act on it, we're deceiving ourselves about our faith.
   The option (option 1 from WaYGtD-Pt 1) was to carry the real cross of Jesus, follow Him, and help change the world. To follow Him and help change the world requires work; it requires action. There is no way to truly follow Jesus without doing some work. Following Him is made of a few things: love, faith, trust, and dirt.
   Yeah, dirt.
   Jesus, by trade, was a carpenter, the son of a carpenter. He played on a dirt floor covered with sawdust as a kid. He was working with His hands before He was ten years old. He spent His entire adult life doing one kind of  work or another. Most likely, He didn't wear a white robe; more likely, His clothes were old and dirty. He's very familiar with all things dirty.
   I'm going to work with my Jesus and get dirty while doing it. What are you going to do?