Welcome to my Hazy Meadow

This turban head wrap that I just found on youtube is soo cute!! This particular way of wrapping the leggings around your head does suggest having your hair in a high ponytail (you can always wear a wig or attach a puff) I think it is super cute and I will definitely be trying it. I just found out using leggings as a head wrap and am in awe. I found an awesome tutorial video on youtube. Here it is! Enjoy!!  (p.s. this is not me in the video)

How organic can you go really? I like the idea of an organic cotton tampon for many reasons. Did you know that our internal tissues are great at absorbing and carrying chemicals throughout the body.   Your vulvar tissue is already a very sensitive part of the body, and any synthetic and potentially irritant material can lead to discomfort, rashes, and other irritation as a result of the close skin contact.   Some tampons contain chemical fragrances and   many conventional tampons contain traces of the chemical  dioxin, which is   a known endocrine disruptor that can cause issues with your hormones. They don’t just create imbalances, they also exacerbate fertility issues, thyroid conditions, PCOS, hormonal and cystic acne, thyroid conditions, endometriosis, and even some forms of cancer . The idea of having toxic chemicals in such a sensitive area is scary. Guess what guys! They cost the same as the non-organic tampons too so it will not cost you more to ...

Today I worked on one of my regular clients. We usually do barrel twist on him (2 strand twists), but today since he is going away to college I decided to switch it up a bit and do 3 strand twists. Yes, yes I know its still twists, but that's why I said switch it up a bit. He is not very flashy and he likes to keep it simple with his hair. None the less I fell in love with this method of twisting and I will be doing it more often. The twists created a nice amount of volume so the style didn't have that spacey look that sometimes comes along with a re-twist. Another plus is that there were less twists so it took a little less time to do. He usually will wear the twists for a couple weeks, then take them loose to wear it free for a couple weeks and then we meet again for another re-twist in about a months time. The process of doing these twists were way easier than I expected and can be done on any hair not just locs. If I can do it I am sure you can do this on your own or so...

 So today I made a DIY tomato plants in planter. The tomato comes out the bottom and grows upside down. But is not just a conventional looking tomato plants here I actually re-purposed a reusable grocery shopping bag and turned it into a planter. I guarantee this is very easy to do and very functional. Try it out and let me know how it goes. Materials  1 Breathable bag (i used a reusable shopping bag) Soil of choice make sure that you have plenty of perlite to help with drainage Tomato plant (needs to be big enough to go in its final container) Cut an 1.5” wide hole in the center of the bottom of the bag Cut up the side of the bag starting from one side of the hole in the bottom. Wrap the bag around the pot that the tomato plant is in Get a needle and thread (I used a yarn needle and 100% cotton string) and stitch the bag up along the side that was cut 08/01/2019 UPDATE: The tomato planter is still functioning and has not torn up a bit. T...

Today I decided to do a pre poo on my hair for the first time. I made the pre poo out of simple things that I already had around the house. The mix was left in my hair for about an hour while I cleaned up the house. The ingredients will be listed below. Homemade Moisturizing Pre Poo   *2-3 tbsp of raw shea butter *2-3 tbsp of conditioner *4-5 drops of peppermint essential oil *4-5 drops of tea tree essential oil *4-5 drops of lavender essential oil *about 2 1/2 tbsp of grapeseed oil *about 2 1/2 tbsp of olive oil * 1tbsp of coconut milk My hair turned out very moisturized and I am happy with the results. I probably wont do this particular mix but maybe once every 3 weeks because it is thick. If I take out a style and my hair is very dry I will definitely be doing this. Background on my hair:  I took my locs out last September by combing them out. My hair was very long and I had minimal shedding. By the time February rolled around my hair had shed a lot ...

   Purple potatoes are my favorite. They are high-antioxidant foods that are really nutritious and they are cute! So go out and get you some! Here are two quick recipes to help you out. Recipe 1:  I like to toss mine in olive oil, salt and pepper with minced garlic and chopped onion. Throw them in the oven on 400 for about 20-25 minutes or until tender. There you have it. Simple and delicious side dish!  Recipe 2: If you want to get crafty you can boil them, drain, then mash them with butter, salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley and a little milk (I used coconut or almond milk but whatever kind you like will work. These are great and give your plate some interesting color!  Enjoy ya'll!! 

     Hello there, I'm back again with another recipe! One pot meals are my favorite to cook when I'm unsure of what to make for dinner but know that I want to get full. They are also really good when you think there is nothing to cook but you have different random ingredients. Just throw what you think will taste good together in a pot and try it.    Keeping things like diced tomatoes, tomato paste, rice, bouillon cubes and cornstarch for thickening, in your pantry is a great idea. They can help turn a few random ingredients in to a full meal.    There is no name for this meal because I simply suck at coming up with names for stuff and I just curated this. So, without further ado here is my recipe. This recipe takes about an hour to cook with 5 min of prep INGREDIENTS - 2.5 cups of mexican rice - about 7 or 8 cups of water -3 cups of pinto beans (leftover beans from my previous recipe post) -2 handfuls of fresh leaf spinach -1/4 cup o...

So growing up in the south I have eaten pork all of my life. Ham hocks, fat back and the other boiling meats have been a staple in our home. As I have gotten older and more in to my health and staying alive longer, I have tried to take a lot of the pork out of diet. Lets not get crazy I still love bacon, ham and ham hocks. I just eat it in moderation now. I'm also the only person in my house that really eats that stuff so not cooking a lot of it is not hard. With all of that being said, I have figured out a way to make pinto beans without boiling meat and still have them tasting amazing. They're actually better in my opinion.  So here we go! INGREDIENTS: -32oz bag of pinto beans -1 whole onion - Bay leaves -3 garlic cloves (can be adjusted for your taste. I looove garlic) - salt, pepper, garlic powder, a little curry powder and crushed pepper flakes, and a bouillon cube of your choice. (the veggie one is good!) - water (Side note: I cook these beans in t...

When I grocery shop for my family I try to not go overboard and spend all of my money. The budget for food shopping is $75 per week. That is enough to have full dinners, pack the hub's lunch and make us a great breakfast. I eat leftovers for lunch since I am not a big fan of cooking in the middle of the day. I used to spend about $100 a week on food but I had to reduce that. I was spending $50 a week on meat alone and that is not healthy for me, my family, or my wallet. Now I try to not spend over $25 on meat and the rest of the money goes to my kitchen staples (ex. bread, pasta, eggs, etc), bottled water, and produce. LOTS AND LOTS OF PRODUCE. With this new budget I have noticed that I am eating a bit healthier. Since there is less money to spend I buy less unnecessary things. I don't buy junk food for myself unless it is just a craving that I can not control. When I crave sweets I buy fruit instead of processed sugary stuff. I absolutely love cabbage because there are sooo ...

     There are times when I get really inspired to do things and I get really great ideas, but for some reason I do not end up putting work or effort in to make the ideas a reality. I feel like I am at a point in my life that I really have to choose something and put work in it. See where it can take me and stop being so scary. Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause you pain, or a threat. I feel that a lot of times, people get wonderful ideas for business ventures that they are passionate about but they are too afraid to just got out and do it. I see it happen in peoples lives all the time.       Do not let fear hold you back from your goals and dreams. If you have something that you love and you are passionate about do not be afraid to go out and do it. When you do go out and do it make sure that you give it your all. and remain positive at all times. You can manifest whatever i...

Sometimes I have a hard time figuring out what I want to cook for the family for dinner. With him not eating seafood or lamb, my choices are limited to beef, chicken and turkey. I have ground beef in the fridge that I am defrosting for use tonight. When in doubt, I google a recipe.  I just ran across a quick recipe that did not require a lot of ingredients and takes no time to make. I chose this particular recipe because I am a fan of the brown sugar and soy sauce combo. I also chose it because it is made with ease. I did have improvise a bit because I did not have two of the ingredients, the sesame oil and the green onions. Here is the recipe, Korean Beef . I used olive oil in the place of the sesame oil and I added a little onion to the skillet after browning the beef in the place of the green onions. I put then beef over a bed of white rice (I used minute rice, which made it even quicker). It turned out great and I will definitely be making this quick and easy meal again....

I was saying over and over that I was going to work out when the new year started. Well here it is the end of February and I am just now deciding to do something. Of course I have made attempts since January and gave up with each one. This time I actually kept going and pushed through the burn. What made it easier to get through was listening to Rihanna's new album on repeat, which is totally AMAZING by the way. Listening to music with a beat that is similar to the pace you are trying to go is very helpful and is definitely something that I suggest you try at home.  During this workout session I started off with about 15 minutes of yoga. Following that I did 3 reps of 15 squats, 2 reps of 15 side leg raises (one side = one rep), 2 reps of 15 hip raises/bridge/butt lifts, 2 reps of 15 fire hydrants, and  I only managed to do 5 push ups. I finished off with 30 minutes of dancing(hard dancing) and some cool down stretches. I have my own yoga flow that I do and it does not in...

        Hi everyone, it is good to be back and better than ever. An effort to post more will be made. That shouldn't be a hard task right now considering I am not working and my baby is still a super sleepy head. I know that I went M.I.A for a while, but that was all for a good reason. I was busy trying to get as many hours of work in as possible before the birth of my beautiful baby girl.         She is here now and is one of the most precious things I have ever held (I know, I know, what parent doesn't say that). She was born in my hometown of Atlanta, GA weighing 6lb 7oz and measuring 18 inches. I am still not sure if I made it a full 40 weeks or not. I'm unsure of that because I was given two different due dates. The first one was November 27th and the second one was December 15. They changed it from the original one because of her size at my 6 week ultrasound. She ended up being born on a Saturday, the day after...

Some people continue to work out throughout their entire pregnancy while others barely want to get out of the bed or off the couch. If your one of the people who feel extremely lazy, keep in mind that a little exercise daily will make your birthing experience easier in addition to other benefits. You do not have to go out and do a hard break a sweat workout routine, but working out 30 minutes a day is really good for you. Of course, if you have not worked out in a while I would suggest starting off with 10 minutes a day and working your way up to 30 minutes daily. If you can not do it daily just try and do it as often as possible throughout the week.      A few of the great benefits of working out while pregnant are:  A boost in your energy and mood Prevents excess weight gain Increases stamina and muscle strength Can help ease or prevent back pain Helps you sleep Some great exercises to try things like going to moderate paced walks, getting on t...

I'm back!! I know it has been a while since I last posted, I really should be ashamed of myself for neglecting the blog, but I'm back and I do not intend to leave you all again for such long periods of time. I apologize for my neglect.  I am 28 or 29 weeks pregnant as of Tuesday and today was my first appointment for my third trimester, it was totally awesome. It's usually always a great experience when I go because they are just  the bomb over at Ob/Gyn Midwife & Associates ; however this time was particularly wonderful. Maybe because it is fall and everything is better in the fall or maybe it was because I got a doula today!!! I know it is because I got a doula today. She'll be coming to my home to meet and have an informative little conversation with me and my boyfriend next Wednesday. Yes I know, having a doula is not that far from the ordinary when your working with a midwife and doing a water birth, but for me it is such a exciting thing. All the happenings...

I am sorry if this list makes you imagine all of the things that are going to be happening "down there", but the items are total must haves and you will be glad that you read it. This is my first baby and  I never knew that childbirth could sound so tragic. I knew that some things would happen to your area, but I was clueless as to how deep it really is. Maybe people don't tell this part because it would most likely scare one out of having children. It indeed did scare me, but there is definitely no going back now. Here is the link POST DELIVERY SELF CARE MUST HAVES  

No one ever talks about the healing process after childbirth, but women need to know the good, the bad and the ugly. The goal is to mentally prepare myself as much as possible for what is about to happen to me, sooo I've been doing my research... While on pinterest I found this awesome post that informed me on something that I did not know about. Did you know that your vagina hurts so much that it is suggested that you freeze your pads to helps soothe it? Padsickles could be your solution (they soothe your vagina after childbirth). Check out the link ( Tall Mom tiny baby: How To Make Postpartum Padsicles Padsickles in 4 E... ) and she will show you how to make them step by step. It is a very quick and easy process; your lady parts will thank you for making them. I am definitely going to try them. 

I am definitely no vegan, however this vegan and gluten-free Rainbow Cake really caught my eye. This would be a wonderful thing to make for a vegan or non-vegan friend for a birthday. It would also make for a great cake for a dinner party. It is bright, colorful and super healthy. Check it out. She has the written copy of the recipe on her website.  

The online store that I will be selling my crochet goods and apparel on is coming along very nicely. I will be listing scarves, hats, and a few other things that I have made. Here is a preview of the Warm and Cozy, handmade, Infinity Scarves that I will be for sale starting at $35. I used a very nice and soft chunky yarn to make this and they will be coming in different colors. Right now in inventory I have one cream infinity and one rouge color one. I also have a burgundy, pom pom skully for sale.