Easy Wavy Hairstyle

We don't like to wear the same hairstyle all of the time.... there are many things that can be done with the hair... leave it down, pull it back, ponytails, braids, curls, etc.  I really like getting 2 hair styles out of one.... and here is how we did this one....

We started with French braids..  If you are interested in seeing the first post about it, you can see it here....

 Pigtails and French Braids


 Day 1
We started out with freshly washed hair.... and when it was still damp, it was french braided quite tightly. It lasted well and looked nice all day long.

Day 2
It still looks nice... a few hairs loosening, but not bad.

Day 2... after she is dressed...

The hairstyle is looking a bit "tired"... but it is still okay.

Up close you can see that more hairs are coming loose. We were at home and didn't have any special activities, so this worked out fine. 

 Day 3

We need to change the hairstyle....

It is pretty obvious up close that this one is done... and needs to be changed.

So... we took the braids out... don't the waves look nice? 

We pulled the hair back and her hair looked nice all day.... and yet was a new style for the week. We don't always let it go this long, but we had been home all week and hadn't been doing any dirty or sweaty work, so it was fine.

The fun thing is that this daughter's hair is not curly, so these waves are really fun for her. No, I didn't put any gel in... but you could if you wanted to be sure the waves would hold.

It was nice to get 3 days out of braiding the first time. Yes, she did sleep with the braids each night. She doesn't have oily hair, so waiting to wash isn't a problem. 

By the way, I did not brush the hair out after I released the braids... that makes the waves last longer.  The next day we brushed the hair and put it in a ponytail. :)

Thank you for visiting... I hope you have a great week.

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Searching For The Elusive....

A quick walk in the park shows many interesting things that lend themselves to interesting pictures.  Though it was a rather quick walk,  I still had to take my camera... and my eyes kept searching for possible scenes to record. 

We took a walk in this park in the summer and it was easy to see lots of great photo possibilities. If you would like to see some of our shots from then, they are in this post:
A Day At The Park...In Pictures

 This time was different... no green grass or leaves... no pretty flowers... no butterflies... lots of brown grass... and dormant trees.  Anyway, we figured there would have to be SOME things we could photograph, so the search was on.      

These ducks look so placid at the moment, but they had been swimming around and I had to work to get this picture. I loved the shimmering green on the head of the male mallard duck.

These tall weeds were broken over at the top... they were about 7 feet tall, but with the sun shining behind them, they looked interesting enough to photograph. 

This is not what I would normally choose to focus on... but I liked it.. I like the light, the shadow and the play of both against the blue sky. They were just tall grasses... but interesting all the same. 

This feather was blowing in the wind... and with a little maneuvering, I was able to get the light behind it...





The bridge below made a picture that would look great on a jigsaw puzzle....

A creek through the woods, reflecting the blue sky, was pretty... and big rocks close by to throw into the creek made for lots of fun for my guys.  They did it several times as some of us tried to capture the splash. :) 

The splash happened quickly and I loved that I was able to catch a few of these at a good moment. Some of them I clicked too fast or too slow.... but these turned out just fine. 

As you can tell, we did quite a few of these. :)  

 The creek, all by itself, was nice also. In the winter, when there is not much green and all can look rather boring, we have to look harder for the beauty... but it is there.  The challenge is to find it.

 All of these ducks were so funny.... look at the mallard above who looks like he is dancing or something...... or maybe the ice feels cold on his feet and he is moving his feet. Not really... but it is funny to see.......

 and then these sillhouette ducks also looked funny... it looks like the second one is sneaking up on the one in front of him.  :)

We have been to this park before... and we will probably go again... it is a beautiful park. It is also surprising how many interesting things appear when we look diligently for them.... especially this time of year. The elusiveness of the pretty vistas makes them all the more special when they are finally found. We can train ourselves to be more observant... to be creative in setting up a shot... to notice the unusual... and the results can be rewarding. 

This works well in photography.... I am thinking it also works well in life. It is easy to see the bright and obvious, whether it is a bit of scenery... or a person... or a situation... but what about when it seems that there is "nothing to see"?  Do we just give up and wait for another time? Maybe.... but what if we look a bit deeper? What if we take time to talk with that person who seems to be unworthy of our time or attention? What if we invest in them and search for more?  Sometimes, we can see a person open up like a flower uncurling its petals slowly in the warm sunshine.... and we see a wonderful sight we would have missed had we just hurried on by. 

What about hard situations.... especially those that are not good at all? Do we just shut down, assuming that all will be bad, so we no longer look for anything good or interesting?  What if we still notice the little blessings God sends in the midst of trouble? Little things like a person offering a shy smile... someone holding the door... someone rushing to pick up another person's papers blowing in the wind...  Such things are blessings... and though they don't change our hard situation, looking for those can help us not to sink into the mire of believing that "everything is bad!" It is part of taking our thoughts captive.

 I think I will be more deliberate in looking for things to be thankful for... I know they are there... I plan to watch for them... notice them... and thank God for them. :) I hope you will join me in doing this... there is so much ugliness in our world... but there are also things worth praising God for... we just need to look.   Thank you for visiting today. 



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Priorities... With A Cup of Tea!

 Sometimes as I have time with the Lord, I drink tea.... It seems to make it easier to slow down, ponder things, talk with Him and listen....

 Beauty can also help that... although sometimes it can be distracting also.  

I read my Bible first thing every morning... and right now, I usually stay in bed while I read.  It's warmer in there and yes, I stay awake, but I don't have any tea at that time.  :)

 Then, throughout the day, I ponder those things I had read earlier.... I meditate on them..... Well, not always... sometimes I get too busy and just don't even think about it.  I don't want to do that, though.... God's Word is so important and I want to walk with Him through each day.

It is rare that I can sit down and just drink a cup of tea.... normally I sip it as I work on the computer... or cook... or do school... or have breakfast....or whatever. Sometimes I find myself just gulping the tea down to be done with it before it is cold.

Sometimes I sip a cup of tea as my kids and I sit... and talk... what precious times. It is easier to sit and concentrate on them when I am sipping tea... and the same thing can work in my time with the Lord.... but I do have to make the time....

I tend to talk with Him all throughout the day... and most times it is not a formal prayer at all, but more of a conversation.... and it is precious.

Still.... a cup of tea... and time with the Lord... can be a good thing.

It is so easy to just run through each day.... our lives are so busy.... I know mine is terribly busy every day and I'm sure yours is also. We don't have time for everything... and something has to "go".   I don't want to just fly through each day dealing with things and reacting... I want to make time for the really important things... and I know I am a better wife and mom when I do so.

I hope you are also making time with God a real priority.... reading His Word every day... but also praying, praising and listening.....  it will help us to be the women He planned for us to be. :)   Thank you for visiting... I hope you have a great week.    

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Pigtails... and French Braids

Braids.... pigtails, french braids.... both are great.  You don't see them as often as you used to, but my daughter still likes them and I am so glad. It is more work to braid or french braid than it is to just pull the hair back into a ponytail, but it is worth it.



It makes a neat  and attractive hairstyle and there are many ways to use it. It is really nice for girls with long hair that can get in the way when they work or play as braids keep it contained and yet still allows the beauty of the hair to show... and the length.

It works well to start with freshly washed hair.... then while it is still damp - not dripping wet, but very damp - comb it out well.

 For this time, I divided the hair with a middle part... first, I am showing regular braids... pigtails. They are easy to do.... just pull all of the hair to one side and hold it together.... divide it into 3 equal parts and braid, securing the end with a ponytail holder.

 It is easy ... and quite quick to do and it looks nice.

Here is where the braid starts on regular pigtails... although you can make them higher or lower... 

This is the french braid... as you can see, it starts closer to the front of the head/hair line. You start with just a small section of hair and divide it into 3 equal parts, then pull a little more hair in each time you cross the hair in braiding.

From the back, the double french braid looks similar to the regular pigtails.

From the side it looks different...

The braids can be started high or low... you can add in a little hair each time... or a lot. You can braid way back before moving down.... they are so many options.

The finished briads can be left down... or they can be hooked together in the back, tucked up to form a finished low "bun" type of style... and more.

 It pulls the hair into a neat style and doing the braiding with wet hair really helps to hold it in place and it will last longer. 

Another nice thing about french braiding is that it can be done with shorter hair also and it will help to hold shorter lengths in place.  We have used it when the girls had really long hair... and shoulder length hair... and in between as this one shows. I have also been able to french braid my hair when it was shoulder length and layered.

It is a bit unusual to see braids in the form of pigtails or double french braids, but it is very attractive and we get so many positive comments when we are out in public. Including the suggestion that it is like Laura on Little House on the Prairie. :)   Anyway, it is a fun style... and once done, it holds up well for the day... and longer.

I will be doing a post to show how this hairstyle can last a few days... and change into another one. I hope you will return. Thank you for visiting. :)

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A Little Snow In The Garden...

We haven't had much snow this year. I know some of you have been "dumped on" and have had way too much snow... and you are probably ready for it to be gone. We had a lot of snow last year, but not much this year, to the disappointment of my kids. Well, we have had some in the last week... and it is enough to be beautiful for pictures, so I thought I would share just a few. :)

I love the bench out in the snow... the top picture is a daytime picture and the one just above this is at night. It looks so serene.  


I know this one is a bit strange, but I liked how it turned out seeing it through the screen. This was also a night picture. There is something about the snow at night... it brightens things up and just looks so nice. 

 Here are some of our raised garden beds resting in the snow... gathering a little bit of moisture for the coming season. We have had drought here for a while, so hopefully we will retain some of this moisture. 

I am enjoying the beautiful white covering as it lends a wonderful change to the landscape.  Especially as I have seen geese flying north a couple of weeks ago when the weather was so nice (70 degrees!!!) and we also saw lots of robins and heard spring birds chirping. It is way too early... and yet it is fun to think of spring as being just around the corner. :)   So, knowing winter won't last terribly long, I can really enjoy it... for a while.  

 How cheery to have the sun on the snow the next day... and I like the shadows of the morning. Last year we had a lot more snow than this... about 10-14" at a time in 3 storms... that was a LOT of snow for us. This year is less, but I am enjoying just a little this year.... especially as I hear the stories of what y'all are dealing with in those eastern states. I hope the snow stops for you out there and that you are safe in dealing with all of the trials associated with the big snows. 

Thank you for visiting today.  I hope you have a good day as you walk with Jesus. 

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Allergy Tea.... Homemade Herb Tea

I have talked before on Gentle Joy Homemaker, about the herb teas that I make and store in pretty jars....   They are useful and very good for us... and I like having them all mixed up and ready to use.
Making Herb Teas For Good Health
Recently, one of my kids was struggling with "junk" in the throat, so I did some more studying... and came up with a new tea.

 This one is being called Allergy Tea, although its main purpose is mucous cleansing.... that title just didn't sound good for my tea, so the title is Allergy Tea! :) 

The ingredients include:
Mullein
Plantain
Comfrey
Peppermint
Lemon Peel
Fenugreek
Stevia for a little sweetness

 We have been drinking it for a couple of days and find that it is very helpful and the flavor is actually quite good. My husband and children have been drinking it willingly....and even said they liked it! :)

I have been making a pot of tea (actually about 2-3 of them!) in the morning and we all drink it with breakfast and during the day.

 It doesn't look all that wonderful... just a bunch of dried herbs all together in the jar..... but it makes a nice rich tea that tastes good.... and is good for us.

 Here is the teapot with the tea strainer inside... I added about 3 heaping teaspoons of the tea herbs.

 After pouring the hot water in, you can see the herbs just soaking up that water and releasing their good nutrition into the tea.  :)

 This is my tea strainer - one of them anyway, and this is my very favorite one. It fits into this teapot... and also into a few of our tea mugs, allowing me to easily brew the tea...or an infusion.

You can tell that mine is getting in rough shape...the screening is pulled loose from the one side (on the right side in the picture)... but it still works. I am hoping to buy another one, but since this one still works, I don't want to spend the money. :)




With the lid on the teapot... over the strainer, the tea steeps for about 10-15 minutes.

Waiting...

There it is... worth waiting for.... enjoyable.... AND good for us.

I am hoping to keep the symptoms my child has, from turning into anything worse... like sickness. I am rather excited about this tea and plan to use it much in allergy season. When I make it again, it may have a couple more ingredients, we'll see.... for right now, this is just right. :)

I am so glad that God has supplied herbs with just the right nutrients to aid us in being healthy.  What a blessing to have such healthy and good tasting teas to use.  I am drinking a cup of this tea right now as I write this....only it is in a white cup this time.... and I find that I really do enjoy this blend.


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