In-between hair styles and update

Its been a little under two months since I started officially locking down and growing out my hair. Ive definitely obtained some good length, but I'm in that "MY HAIR LOOKS DISGUSTING NO MATTER WHAT I DO!" phase. This is the hardest phase to get through, because its so tempting jut to go get a hair cut for instant relief. But, I cant. I must stay strong!

Here is the process I've made in the last 8 weeks.

As you can see, I decided to dye my hair a dark brown. My natural hair color is dirty dish water blonde, and I regularly bleached it to obtain the pearl blonde color I had before. Bleaching was causing breakage, so I decided getting into a darker color range would be much healthier for my hair as I grow it out. The color is a little darker then I had originally planned, but its washed out a lot since it was first dyed.

Some days it feels like my hair has grown a lot, and other days it feels like it hasnt grown a bit. I think a lot of it depends on how I style it. As you can see, I've gained a fair amount of growth, but I have a long way to go.

In order to keep myself going on the grow out path, I find myself looking through chin length pictures a lot. Inspiration can be essential in keeping yourself chugging ahead instead of digressing back into pixie territory. Here are some of my favorites;

Growing out a pixie cut

As shallow as it sounds, my hair is been a huge pain point for me lately. I’ve been trying to grow it out, and have had major setbacks. So after my last trim (and almost breaking down in 'I hate my hair' tears), I decided that I had to buckle down and get this 'growing my hair out' show on the road. In hopes of keeping on track, I’m going to be documenting my hair progress here. Monthly I'll post update pictures, and hopefully give some advice, encouragement and ideas to any of you who are trying to grow out your hair as well.

I'm currently have a short/mid-length pixie. I've been trying since November to growing my hair out, but obviously it hasn’t worked. My hair grows well (I'd estimate 1/2-1 inch per month), but excessive trims or breakage is keeping me from obtaining length.

So, my plan of action is:

1. Stop getting so many trims. This doesn’t mean I'll stop getting trims altogether, but it does mean I'll only be going for trims every 2-3 months instead of every month. There’s a misconception that getting trims helps your hair grow faster. It doesn’t. Trims will help to stop split ends from running up the hair shaft, and can clean up rough or uneven edges while your hair grows. However, trims will not make your hair grow. Personally I cant afford to have all my growth cut off every time I want to clean up my ends. Instead, I'll only visit my stylist for a trim when the dreaded mullet hair gets to hard to handle.

Love you Scarlett, but seriously this is the worse hair EVER!

2. Start doing monthly protein treatments. On Monday of this week, I did ApHogee's 2-1 protein treatment. It really worked wonders on myhair. Since my hair is bleached, its become really fragile- to the point where its gummy and sticky when wet. Doing the protein treatments will help rebuild my hairs strength. By stopping the breakage problem, I hopefully won’t have to deal with a lot of split ends either. Im also using ApHogees Keratin 2 minute treatment. I will be using this weekly to rebuild any keratin I lost in between protein treatments.

3. Take Biotin as a daily supplement. There’s no hardcore evidence that Biotin helps your hair grow faster, but it does help the hair that grows be healthy. I've noticed a big difference in my hair growth since taking Biotin. You can find Biotin at any drugstore, and its usually fairly priced.

4. Only heat style when necessary.My hair is naturally curly, so having short hair requires a lot of heat styling. However, I’m trying to minimize heat styling by only washing my hair every other day, using a heat protecting spray and only flat ironing the really unmanageable spots. Once my hair grows past my ears, I hopefully will be able to stop heat styling and go back to a more natural wave/curl. Something like this;

5. Stop bleaching. This is a big one for me. I've been bleaching my hair all over for the past 6 months or so. Its time to stop. My hair is so damaged and stripping my hair is making it worse. At my next color appointment, my goal is to go back closer to my natural hair color (a dark blonde). I may even go a shade or two darker into the light brown category.

My goal is to have my hair at my jaw line by the summer of this year. According to this hair chart, I'm somewhere between 1 and 2.

The ultimate goal is to reach this length by next year.

I've got quite a ways to go, but I’m up for the challenge!

Here are pictures of my hair as of today. I’m having a pretty bad hair day, but its a good representation of my current length and style.

My last trim and dye job was 2/4/2012. My last protein treatment was 2/6/2012.

The current length of the hair at the top of my head is about 5 inches.

At the end of this month, I'll post a collage of weekly progress pictures!

Lets Hear it for the Boy! Lets Give the Boy a Hand!!!!

Standing Up for Men in a World Where Society Doesn't

^"22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. ²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷ and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. ²⁸ In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— ³⁰ for we are members of his body. ³¹ “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the two will become one flesh.”

Ephesians 5:22-31

Is it just me, or are you sick of guys getting constantly brow beat by our society? I'm no expert on social affairs, but seriously, you'd have to be blind not to see the obvious demeaning attitude our society has taken towards men. Media is chalk full of men bashing, 'women empowering', and gender confusing propaganda. Why is it that almost every sitcom on tv has a stupid, fat, gross or uncaring male figure? But of course, the women in previous said sitcom are beautiful, powerful, caring, nurturing, giving and overall good role models. Its not the fact that women are portrayed in a empowering light, its that women are lifted up while men are shoved down into the ground. Media shows men as the problem, and women as the cure. Men are the butt of society’s jokes. Since when did it become ok to bully men? If we treated gay people, children or African Americans like we treat men, heads would roll. Yet somehow we've made it okay to berate an entire sex. The male gender has been bent, mistreated and misrepresented for all long as I can remember. We have the Edward Cullen characters who although may be good with the ladies, are brooding, sickly lowlifes who almost barf when they smell a pretty girl. There are the Jersey Shore guido’s who drink, womanize, cheat and fight to display their ‘manhood’. There’s the classic "King of Queens" man who burps and mis-communicates his way into 'loveable' antics, which really, in the end, makes him look stupid and his wife the smart hero. How about the Michael Scotts who are so clueless and sexually perverse that everything they say and do destroys everything in their path. Or the 'Every Man' who is so sex-crazed he cant control his eyes, hands or umm...pants.

Tell me, what happened to the Mr. Darcy- who though flawed and broken, can admit his wrongs, asks forgiveness and bends his pride to be the man? Where are the Mr. Ingalls who cares for his family, and works hard to not only provide food and shelter, but teach his children right from wrong? Where is the man who stands for what’s right, fights to protect the weak and loves his wife, children and friends with a passion that spurs him to selflessness? We women want our men to be our knight, yet everywhere we turn, men are portrayed as anything but a knight in shining armor. Is society right? Do those men no longer exist?

When my husband and I were first dating, we both read a book called "God's Gift to Women; Discovering the Lost Greatness in Masculinity” by Eric Ludy. Although the title seems a little narcissistic, the idea is that God created men to be the heroic, loving and selfless leaders- what every women wants their man to be. Eric talked about how men are designed to be a reflection of Christ, and used the term "Warrior-Poet" as an ongoing theme to define Christ-like manhood. Eric recounted a quote from the movie ‘Braveheart’ where William Wallace in a narrative said "In the year of our Lord 1314, patriots of Scotland, starving and outnumbered, charged the fields of Bannockburn. They fought like warrior poets. They fought like Scotsmen. And won their freedom.'' The term "Warrior-Poet" is a simple way to remember what men we're made for- a Warrior protects serves, guides, and leads. A Poet freely expresses love and gently cares for those around him. God's plan is not for men to be cowards who shrink back, slobs who melt into a world of video games and football, or overbearing jerks who throw their weight around in order to rule their home. God created men to be a direct reflection of Christ. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her..." (Ephesians 5:25) A Warrior-Poet understands that meekness is strength under control. He freely serves by leading and giving himself for the good and welfare of those around him.

Christ is a perfect example of a "Warrior-Poet". He paved the way with strength, justice and mercy. He sacrificed everything so those he loves (you and me) could have life. He was God incarnate, and had all power, yet he didn’t throw it around just to prove a point. When he could have condemned, he forgave. He deserved to have his feet washed- yet he washed the feet of others. He had perfect meekness- strength under control. His love for us is perfect. Everything he did, from his first breath, to his last, was a love letter for his Bride, the church. Just as Christ leads the church with a tender, yet firm hand, so are men to lead their families, churches, workplaces, and society. " For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church..."(Ephesians 5:23) Christ is the perfect example of what men are meant to be...and what men CAN be.

So you're probably saying right now, well that’s nice, but the men in my life don’t act that way. Well, I hear you. It is a man’s ultimate responsibility to live his life according to the standards God has put in place. No women can force them into it. Yet, we as women have the great opportunity to encourage men to greatness. We as women can flex our God-given role of helper, and spur the men in our lives to Warrior-Poet status. By bashing, humiliating and deflating our men, we're stripping away every ounce of will they have to become the men God created them to be. Just as a child can be bullied and beaten into a reclusive shell, men can be beaten into society’s stereotypical mold. If we stop the constant nagging maybe our men would finally have a chance to show us and the world the amazing leaders and lovers they can be.

Society is wrong. Dead wrong. Men are not the stock character who always mess everything up while being a jerk, low life or miserable sot. Yes, there are men out there who are all of those things, and probably worse. There will always be bad eggs. Yet, the men I know; my husband, my Dad, my brother-in-laws, my pastors and my friends, are not. And I promise you ladies, most of the men in your life are not either. They may be a work in progress, but God designed them to be more then what society tells them they are. I think it’s our job as women to lift our men up and make sure they know we believe in them. We need to be their cheerleaders. We can’t fall into the pitfall of bashing the men in our lives. We have to spur them onto greatness- by responding and respecting them like God designed us as women to do.

So, men, don’t be the stereotype. Choose to be the Warrior-Poet. Be the man God created you to be. And women, maybe its time to stop being such feminists. We (I’m talking to myself here!) forget that God created both men and women for equal, yet different roles. Allow your man to be who God created him to be- the servant-leader of your home. Build them up. How can we expect our men to be something that we constantly tell them they aren’t?

For further reading on how God designed men and their roles in society, family and church please read "God's Gift to Women: Discovering the Lost Greatness of Masculinity" by Eric Ludy

Also concider seeing the movie Courageous which deals with godly manhood. Here is a song inspired by the movie.

Hair, Baking and Crafts galore!

Hi guys! Its been forever since I last posted. I'm realizing that I'm not as faithful of a blogger as I used to be. I think its because I'm lazy, but I'd like to use work and other general business as an excuse :-)

Ive got a photo heavy post here, so get ready! We'll start with the biggest subject- my hair. Not that my hair is big, like afro big, but its a big topic. Since April I've been itching to cut my hair. I go through this vicious cycle every few years, where I'll grow my hair out just to cut it all off. The last time I drastically cut my hair was in 2008. I cut it from mid back up into a super short pixie cut.

(Click on pictures to enlarge)

After looking at the old pictures (above) of me with the ubber short hair, I decided I didnt like it. At all. Why didnt someone tell me I looked like a lesbian? Ugh. I digress. Anyways, this time around I decided I wanted to stay on the longer side of the pixie spectrum. Here is before:

Here is after:

Hopefully I dont look like a lesbian! If I do, please tell me now so I can grow it out! Ha.

Besides the hair craziness, I've been crafting and baking a lot. I know its just a big phase, but I figure I'll take full advantage of it while I can!

On the baking end, I've been all over the place. I've made everything from Apple Pie Bars, to French Silk Pie, Coconut Macaroons to Coconut Poke Cake. I forgot to photograph all my ventures, but here are a few.

Peanut Butter and Jelly cookies (gluten free)

Coconut Macaroons (gluten free)

Apple Pie Bars

With crafting, I've been trying a whole assortment of things. I'm mainly working on headbands (feathers and felt/cloth flowers). I'm also practicing my sewing a little bit and making plushies. I dont have a sewing machine, so I'm doing everything by hand. Hence the horribly crookied lines! Oh well, its all fun to make!

Felt flower barrett

Feather headband

Feather headband

Fabric flower headband

Felt flower headband

Felt flower barrett

Felt kitty magnets (my baby Hank and Lady bird!)

Lastly, some plushies I made for my niece and nephew. Their slightly scary, but ay, my niece and nephew are not old enough to care!

Artsy Fartsy

I'm in a super creative mood lately. Maybe its the spring weather thats getting me inspired, or maybe its just the never end cycle I go through of creativity and boredom. Either way, I'm in the mood to get my hands into some projects. I have a million stories running through my mind begging to be written, my hands are aching to get into a intense art project (maybe trying my hand at pencil portraits), and I'm actually getting the itch to pick back up photography! 

My problem is I just cant decide what to do- and because of this I'm wasting precious time thinking about what I could do, instead of just doing it. I've always had a problem with that. I'm a classic overthinker. I think, rethink, re-rethink and then think again. And, by the time I've made my mind up, its to late and the moment has passed. I think I might have ADD, OCD or some other acronym mental aliment. I wish I could focus all my energy on something worth while instead of wasting time  

I've been working hard to become more focused at home with chores. And, its going fairly well. I dont think it will ever become natural for me, but making a habit to have a 'tidy' and 'orderly' home is important enough to invest my energy into. Now maybe I need to turn some of my efforts to focusing on cultivating my creativity. Just like God is a God of order, God is a God of creativity. His glory is displayed when we create things that uplift His name. I think thats why we has humans are so draw to beauty- and to recreating that beauty. Whether we consciously know it or not, we are drawn to splendor of the King. Its our choice to use that longing to draw ourselves closer to the Creator himself, or to the darkness in the world.

Welp, we'll see how this creativity itch goes. Maybe it will pan out into something I can post about later on. Maybe not.... Hopefully I can just do something. Instead of sitting here dreaming about it. Ugh. FOCUS KATIE!