Birthdays and Hair

Indy had a small, family birthday party on Friday. She received more dolls, toys and clothes. The kid has really racked up this winter! For dinner, we did something a little different. Instead of the typical pizza pick-up or hamburgers and hot dogs, I made spaghetti and meat sauce (one of her favorites). I backed up the meat sauce with an alternative; garlic and herb sauce. We also had garlic bread and a variety of drinks to choose from. So, five adults and four children were very pleased and all went back from seconds. Who knew one of my standard meals would do so well! My sister-in-law was eating and didn't even question the green items that tasted so good (uh, green peppers? Vegetables? She should probably eat more of those).

After cake and presents, we all sat around chatting while the kids played. It really was a nice evening. Everyone was dog tired from working, but still managed to have a good time. It reminded me of why I like to entertain. I can't wait to redo my kitchen (coming up this year, I hope). We plan to install hard wood floors throughout the top floor of my home, save the bedrooms and bathrooms along with granite counter-tops and refinished cabinets. Huge, huge jobs, but it will be so worth it.

The next morning (Saturday, bright and early) my sister-in-law returned so that I could do her hair. I offered, but also put out the disclaimer that I am no professional. She didn't seem to care and was happy to spend the $50+ dollars on the type of hair that I wear (in black). I think she just didn't want to have to deal with it anymore (she's a hospice nurse).

It's probably a good thing she did this, too because as I was braiding, I noticed quite a bit of damage...especially her ends. It's evident that over processing, stress, and breakage from sleeping on cotton pillows are all culprits. Interestingly, we watched a video of me in a step show and my hair was very bouncy and healthy. She commented on it several times. I remember, during that time, I was only using "sodium" based perms, rather than calcium hydroxide. I also slept on a satin pillow case and, when that wasn't available, a satin cap. I made sure to only use light hair moisturizers rather than flat-out grease. I received trims regularly and visited my salon on a regular basis (rather than doing my own retouches). All of this extra maintenance kept my hair in good shape. It was also incredibly expensive. Makes me appreciate even more that I'm natural and don't have to go through all that drama anymore.

Her hair will certainly grow out with braiding, but it will endure a different kind of stress. I'm not sure what her plans are for the future. I don't even know if a "hair lesson" is really what she wants, anyway. People generally do what they've done forever, because that's what they understand and feel works for them. Opening their minds to knew ideas can be tricky for some. I think that would be the case for her.

Although I'm selfish of my time but I wonder about doing this for a bit of extra money. I'm okay, but not professional (I would make that clear in my ads). I wonder how busy it would make me? I've also thought about maybe giving a little "workshop" if nothing else (there are so many black children adopted by parents of different races that struggle with their hair...there are websites galore devoted to supporting them). That would certainly be an "in". I'll think about it more.

I've lost four pounds, but I'm not drinking enough water and I'm still eating out too much. I'll keep trucking, though.