Braid and Pin Curl! Putting a Smile on my little sisters face! :)

New Blog!

Hello New Viewers!

Please visit My new Blogspot Positive Change. Positive Growth.

It's been two years since my last post here! So much has changed, So much for the better!

Follow my journey towards resources I intend to seek, find and apply that will help me towards

Physical Well-being
(Healthy Weight Loss)

Financial Well-Being
(Working my way out of $20,000 worth of debt)

Relational Well Being
(Mending Broken Relationships, Creating Better Ones)

Spiritual Well Being
(Reconnecting with GOD)

Social Well Beling
(Maintain a Lifestyle in Positive Environments)

Mental Well Being
(Practicing better focus to achieve a better life)



Recommendations will be greatly appreciated <3

One Year Natural Hair Anniversary

Today it is exactly a YEAR since my last cut of permed hair!!! I'm excited to share that my hair is 6 inches long right now :) I'm looking forward to creating an album of my journey. Check out my experience a year ago. :)

http://embracenatural.blogspot.com/2009/03/i-believe-i-am-officially-natural.html

My 1st Natural Updo - Butterfly Clip Updo

Hello EmbraceNaturelle's,

I'm excited to share with you my first updo. :) I've continously styled my hair with two strand twists and straw curls and my interest peaked in trying something new this past weekend...especially an updo after viewing these photo months ago from this naturalista's site, I think on fotki...

Forgive me for not being able to promote proper credit by providing a link to her site :/ months ago I saved her hairstyle under Inspiring Hair Styles in my Pictures file without the thought that I would actually post it..I only pray that she will not be unhappy with me sharing her photo...





and then i just had a random thought to purchase butterfly clips to pretty it up a bit :) Hope you like :)


I adore <3 the way my braids and clips looked on my left side :)




I had a different view on how the updo would look in the back... but I am content for my first try :)





There is a sheen of organic shea butter on my hair when wet.... it will go away in another day especially after I untwist them. For some volume in the front :) Let me know what you think and please let me know when you try it out. I'd love to see your creative take on a butterfly clip updo. :)

I acheived this style by single braiding my hair in the back and two strand twist my hair in the front. :)

Washed with BioInfusion Rosemary Mint Shampoo
Conditioned with Giovanni Deeper Moisture Conditioner
Deep Conditioned with Organic Unrefined Shea Butter with small mix of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Stop n Shop Brand) A great site to order shea butter :)

Natural Hair Can Grow!!

Hi EmbraceNaturelle's,

Here is some inspiration for whom aspire to grow lengthy natural hair. I am forever grateful to Rusticbeauty in Youtube for presenting her routine and giving us visual proof that natural hair can grow to amazing lengths with great hair care. Sorry, I'm not able to embed her videos since their diasbled.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEj5E3_swBY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Qw2YSBn3ho

I was able to attach Ladeybug7's video of her flat ironning her length.



I aspire to grow great lengths to my hair. Maintainance may be a bit of a challenge compared to the low maintenance that I experience with my 6 inches. I LUV the short length of my hair now and I only have an excited curiosity on what it would be like to style it when it grows even longer. :)

Enjoy :)
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Great site to order Shea Butter!

Thanks to RusticBeauty from Youtube and her friendly willingness to share her natural hair routine. I've come across a great site recommended to order shea butter .....and what a great recommendation it is!!

I care for my hair once a week and my order of shea butter lasts me for two to three months. The free shipping is a plus!

Enjoy!
http://myworld.ebay.com/sharika77/

Awesome Gifts to give Teens!!!

Recommended Track Of The Day!
FALLY IPUPA FEAT OLIVIA G-UNIT


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Sears was having an awesome sale on perfumes and colognes for 4.99! What a great sense of retail therapy, it has made my day! Their the perfect size and I believe the perfect way to introduce colognes and perfumes to
my sister who is 18, my cousins whom are 14 (male) and 13 (female) and my goddaughter, 12. :)

I purchased 3 perfumes of DOTS for my goddaughter, cousin and myself lol I would dig deep into my candy bag and devour these every time Halloween came to pass when I was a teen. I don't eat them any more but the scent is such a refreshing nostalgia. :)



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My mouth is watering for a watermelon jolly rancher right about now ... I used to jump for green apple and cherry more so than watermelon...Mmmmmm :) Whoa!...I got to be careful i'm getting tempted..... I purchased Smooth Watermelon for my sister. Although she is 18 and ladies around her age my be more interested in the scents of Britney Spears or Mariah Carey...my sister doesn't appear to worry so much about fragrances....she's still young at heart being the youngest of four siblings in total and I feel this will be a great start for her as well. :)


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The scent of Antonio Banderas cologne seemed just right for my little man. I can't believe he is 14 right now!!! My handsome little man is gonna turn some heads in Georgia. :)


It's such a fascinating experience for me....the thought that I changed the diapers of 3 out of 4 of them...my sister, my goddaughter and her brother and now their entering middle school, high school and college!

I look forward to how they all will mature, what careers they'll pursue and how they will entertain living their lives. :)

My fixation on Masculinity

I have written in my blog description


~~Expressing the value of living life to the fullest~~
Sharing my natural journey
Expressions of my idiosyncratic thoughts

I may have posted a fair amount of blogs on living life to the fullest and of my nautral journey...here is a glimpse of my idiosyncratic side...

I get an adrenline rush when I see men in combat for a honorable cause, in act of chivalry, or just simply skilled in weaponry. Here are some clips of those men that have given me an adrenaline rush a number of times in their films....

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Here Brad Pitt is one sexy reenactment of Troy.

To understand the story behind this scene start at 1:04... it is at 4:10 that
my adrenaline kicked in after viewing how he slowly ascended from a focused walk to a sprint and effortlessly avoided his opponents defense; then leaped and defeated him. I don’t like the killing but his skill was no sweat!! That is what impresses me! The perfect example of how size doesn’t matter ! At 3:37…the war may not be honorable but his efforts to combat one man to save the men’s lives was honorable.



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Please watch this short video for what I'm about to express. The slow mo of the whole fight at 1:30 is SICK!!! It's the skill that Excites me lol...notice in the beginning at first he reached into his coat for a weapon and than lower his hands...there is a scene within the movie which was a lesson that taught him how to focus in order to combat...if he did not embody that lesson he wouldn't have been able to combat 5 men in a matter of seconds! Impressive!! I would love to have that skill but of course not to kill.....



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I'm a lover of the genre Fantasy...books and movies...Lord Of The Rings was the
perfect transition from my love of Stars Wars to a more up to date combat movie. Here the man on the horse who's character name is Aragon is better presented in other scenes in Lord of Rings but this was the best I could find in you tube to express how empowering this movie can be when fighting for a good cause and how the odds are always up against evil no matter how overpowering they appear to be at first....which will be seen at 2:28. Please watch from the beginning



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Forewarning!! If you haven't seen the movie 300...than prepare for a more gruesome scene..this video is more about my fixation on how masculinely strong these men look and the mastery of their skill in weaponry. ESPECIALLY at 0:49 to 0:55...you may not want to continue after that point!! His body/abs is DELICIOUS to me!!



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I just realized that all these men are caucasian*....my eye is always out for a black man..i've been one to compliment when an attractive white man passes by but it never peaks my internal instincts to pursue him....I'm beginning to think my fixation on masculinity such as the above is reason y i'm single..maybe i'm a bit too agressive?......lol welp this completes my idiosyncratic thoughts.
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FYI*

*idiosyncratic: Peculiar to a specific individual; eccentric .............Odd, personalized, peculiar, eccentric and often out of context

Good Night!!! or Good Morning!!!
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Enjoy this track! Very empowering music to workout with....i.e. running on a treadmill

Try something new!! See a Comedian! :) Check this out!

When was the last time you went out for a good laugh...a GOOD healthy "my stomach hurts!!" laugh influenced by a Comedian?? The last time I had a good laugh was watching an episode of Martin on youtube last week

Here it is! Now watching Part 1 to 3 may help you really get into the comedic storyline and may lead you to tears by Part 3! Please watch the whole of Part 3 to see the highlight of 2:44 through 3:15!!!!

2:44 to 3:15 got me in tears!!!! I could barely get a sound of laughter out cause I'm laughin too much air in rather then out...if that makes any type of sense lol lmao Enjoy!!!!




I don't remember Madea making me laugh so hard!!!

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Watchin Martin in action like that really had me yearning to laugh like that some more and inspired me to see a Comedian live in action. Which reminded me of one comedian named Arnez J.

He is just as animated as Martin in his own unique way and I wish I could show you this one show that had me hooked on him a few years back when I first saw him on BET Comic View....he's not like those other comedians that just swears alot to make a funny point...he does "true comedy" as he states it....comedy of everyday life that we can relate too.... Check him out!!

Jokes.com
Arnez J - Oral Surgery
comedians.comedycentral.com
Joke of the Day Stand-Up Comedy Free Online Games

I looove his facial expressions especially how his eyes pop out lol the way he is so animated with his body is amazingly hilarious 1:23 got me good lol

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I've grown bored with the monotonous route of entertaining myself like free ladies nights at the club and going to the movies... I want to have fun in the a so common way and I feel a great unique outing is definitely seeing a Comedian!!! I am planning to organize an outing with a good handful of family and friends to see one and am searching tour dates for Arnez J and maybe Martin Lawerence would be possible tooo!!

Jokes.com
Arnez J - Getting Into Heaven
comedians.comedycentral.com
Joke of the Day Stand-Up Comedy Free Online Games

LOL LMAO 1:48 got me good too!!!! I love how animated he is!!!!!

Who is your favorite comedian? Have you had a chance to see him/her or a comedian live? Do you go often? Are you planning to see one soon? Please share how you go about getting tickets? I'd love some help with that. ")

Look forward to hearing from ya!!! :)

~EmbraceNatural

Growth! Fresh Twist and Straw Curls! Wedding!!

Recommended Track of the Day!!!
Enjoy while you read! :)


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I fall in love more and more with caring and styling my hair in its natural state especially with results such as the photo above. These were fresh twists with straw curls the day after I did them. :) Giovanni Gel is a must for me for such a great shine!!!



Before my curls were completed here are pictures of my growth!!! I photo'ed after I detangled my hair with water and coconut oil. :) I am very excited with the height of my hair.

Check out this link to one of my first posts of my journey to natural hair...It's a photo of my version of the "big chop"..
I Believe I Am Officially Natural The fifth photo in my blog shows how much shorter a height I had






Here is how it looks when I finished curling my twists on the straws and photos the next night after removing the straws in the morning.




The photo of my right profile shows too much of a gap in between my twists/curls, I'm working on that...











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I went to a wedding a week later with the same twists and later that evening I untwisted them heading to a BBQ and Club. Unfortunately I can't stay to complete my post...I will post photos of them when I get a chance. ENJOY!

Twist and Straw Curls and Fun with Facepaint

Recommended Track Of The Day
Enjoy while you read!


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Here are the first photos of my experience with natural hair since my post on my last chop of permed hair months ago!!! A mix of twists and straw curls*!!!! I rocked the style at my cousin's party celebrating her son's 1st bday which was entertained with face painting!!! Fun stuff!!!




I definitely had fun with it and went to club afterwards with the face paint!! I want to do it again. It felt so fun dancing with it on...I highly recommended doing it when you go to the club for a unique and fun experience :)

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*FYI

How I twist and straw curl

I detangled my hair from my previous style of straw curls spraying water on a few curls and smoothed coconut oil per curl to untwist and comb out...the coconut oil and water makes it really easy for me to avoid unnecessary breakage ..



After my hair was indulged with coconut oil and smooth from curls, I washed with Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps - 18 in 1 Hemp Peppermint Pure Castor Oil.

I would start my twist and curls from the back to the front.....I would part a line of hair from the right to left which is not to thick or too small...you can judge the amount of hair you want to work with by your preference.....and leave the rest of my damp hair covered in the shower cap....make sure to keep a spray bottle near by with water or your own mix nearby




I would smooth African royale Hot Six Oil on my parted hair and scalp and starting at the right I would part a small amount of hair that was thick enough for me to twist to my liking....i would pin the rest of my hair on the left to keep aside...




I would twist my damp and oiled hair with Giovanni L.A. Natural Styling Gel (strong hold) then curl my twist on a straw almost an inch of length...(the length of the straw will be judged by the length of hair)....I would curl my twist around the straw keeping them close together so they won't loosely spiral when I remove it after it dries.

Continue the same method throughout your whole head....

It takes time and patience, my experience was relaxing...for me it took at least 3 hours....."3 hours???!!!" (<-- was that what went through your mind?) heh heh well it is worth it when the style lasts for a week!!! It's very low maintenance all thanks to Giovanni's gel!!! You will have a great sheen as well!!!

Enjoy! :)

Was my ladybug a brush of good luck today? ....could it be love?....

Recommended Track Of The Day

Please enjoy while you read :)



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While riding the trolley on my way home this morning, a chill came over me when I caught a glimpse of a bug slowly crawling my left jean. I relaxed once I realized that it was a ladybug. I just stared at it and my mind kept juggling the question...:"is this good luck?.... how is a ladybug good luck in the first place? how can i tell?"....

I said my farewell to my ladybug doing my best to gently brush it to flight so it wouldn't get trapped in Shaw's supermarket but it still had the interest of walking so it was on the ground doing it's thing....maybe to pass it's luck on another fortunate person. Entering Shaw's, I was directed to the right as I searched for the restroom and caught my eye on a display of flip flops....it was evident that they were on sale.

I nonchalantly walked over to check them out and found Okabashi sandals 75% off....my thoughts were "75% off??"... "that's over 50%"... "so the cost most definitely have to be a good deal".....

It turned to be very much so....enough for me to purchase sandals for my whole family.

At this very moment I am wearing these deliciously comfortable sandals which is presented to your right. What a deal indeed! $2.75 each!! I bought 7 of them for my father, mother, lil sister, my twin, cousin, myself and a male friend of mine which is the reason for me encountering this ladybug :)



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As I fantasized some more on the ladybug being a brush of luck for myself and my family....I fantasized how I never would of came across the ladybug if it wasn't for B...let's name him B....I'm developing mixed feelings for him...

I was heading home from his house after spending the night...it wasn't intentional....we've hung out since 11pm and fell asleep by 4a,....which was pretty close to leading to a certain level which is found when a male and female is still up in the wee hours with the ambience of a room lightly lit by a shade of red....2 candles lit atop candle stands...romantic zouk and kompa music playing in the background....shadows of a wine bottle and 2 wine glasses on the window curtains gently blown within due to winds of a gentle thunderstorm followed by the calming sound of thunder and rain....very tempting ambience indeed.

We've been talking for a short period of time and I had to control myself not to let it lead into anything when it was too soon to tell where our relationship would develop....

He is an adorable 30 yr old bachelor, who knows how to dance zouk love* and kompa music to the point where it blew me away the first time we met at a little dance club, a really good dancer always peaks my interest in him...and he was definitely on point. :)

Tonight we may be able to dance again at the Sheraton Hotel in Braintree, I can't wait :)

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FYI
*How to dance Zouk




The video below is a more intimate..sensual style which almost had me fainting when dancing with B. :)





*How to dance Kizomba







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Baffling but Entertaining - Check it out

While helping my sister find a song which had the words melody in it on youtube we came across this video which was totally random!! But cute and you can't resist a smirk...I can imagine teaching this to the kids during a birthday party to entertain them as well. Would you?



Did you find yourself humming...singing or dancing along? :)

When someone steals money from you....

I can't help but envision someone spending the time to deliberately take my meal replacement shake canister, my bottle, jacket, sweater and last but not least my duffel bag....digging into my exterior pocket and pulling over 20 bucks broken down in dollars and fives out of my unlocked locker leaving me 3 bucks and spare change and taking the time to reposition all my items back in their place.....

Thoughts have been reeling with questions...Did someone really steal from me? Did someone really go in my locker, dig into MY bag and take what didn't belong to them? Who was around when it was done? How quickly did they dig in my bag and find the money? Who was it? Why would they be so heartless to dig into another person's belonging?......I even doubted that I may have put the money in my little bottle...but I am positive that I left at least 20 bucks in my bottle since being in a budget; I wanted to make sure that my bus money was saved in a different place so I wouldn't spend it. Normally I would of left the rest of my money home but due to not wanting to miss the bus I carried my cash bottle with me....tsk tsk tsk.. I could have prevented this....

Well...all in all.... my locker was unlocked so for one I will take the blame for taking it lightly to believe that I could trust that my items were safe in an unlocked locker. Although the six almost seven months that I've trained at the gym 5 to 6 days a week.... majority of time leaving my items in an unlocked locker have been safe...

When I shared this with my friend Suzanne; who does physical training along with me at the gym, we discussed how she herself lost her cellphone no more then 3 days before which she left charging in the bathroom/locker room and 10 minutes later found it missing! So it is evident that we must guard our items well!

My emotions are torn between thoughts of "....Lynda, you have just been given a reality check...that you can't leave your money in an unlocked locker assuming that people can be trusted at the gym anymore!" and "what would the person spend the money on? a meal for their child(ren)? a meal or junk food for herself? how would she justify her wrongdoing? how many times will I see this person's face pass by me?" "what would karma do?"

I myself did my best to restrain any bitter feelings toward the other person because logically it wouldn't change the fact that I am short 20 bucks....so I just smiled and shook my head telling myself that I can't live in cloud nine believing that everyone is trustworthy in the locker room.... 100% of my attitude at the gym is to trust everyone until given reason not too. So now I have to guard my trust....to be honest I don't wish to go through the trouble of having to use a combination lock or keyed lock every time I need something but the extra few seconds to lock and unlock my locker will save me from a little financial distress....because every dollar counts for me as of this moment...

Has anyone stolen money from you...how much?...did you react negatively or positively? Last year an acquaintance of mine shared that she had lost money herself one day and said that whenever money was lost something good was going to happen to her....which was a fascinating perspective....has something great happened to you after your loss of an item or money???

Just asking because I am curious....

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The reason why I trust so much

What did I just put in my body?

This morning I had me a PB & J sandwich on wheat bread. After I had my sandwich, I made a thorough but short read on the Nutrition Facts and Ingredients of the jelly. Which led to the question....What did I just put in my body?????

The brand is called "Family Pantry - Grape Jelly"

The Nutrition Facts are

Serving Size: 1 TBSP Calories per serving: 50
Calories from Fat: 0 Servings Per Container: 45


Total Fat: 0g --------- Saturated Fat 0g ------ Trans Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg ------ Sodium: 10mg
Total Carbs: 13g ------ Dietary Fiber: 0g
Sugars: 13g ----------- Protein: 0g

I can't see any nutritional value on what this grape jelly can do for me based on it's "Nutrition" Facts more so from reading it's ingredients:

Grape Juice, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Fruit Pectin, Citric Acid and Sodium Citrate.

I googled how to read nutrition labels and came across this information on the U.S. Food and Adminstration Site*

Ingredients are listed in descending order of weight (from most to least).

Which means there is more of grape juice than high fructose corn syrup...more high fructose corn syrup then corn syrup.....more corn syrup then fruit pectin and so on...right?

Additionally....

If you are concerned about your intake of sugars, make sure that added sugars are not listed as one of the first few ingredients. Other names for added sugars include: corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate, maltose, dextrose, sucrose, honey, and maple syrup.

Ok....I'm totally turned off by this Jelly since it's first few ingredients did consist of high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup*....my mother is not so open with me preaching to her healthier alternatives when it comes to the expense of feeding a household of 6 but I plan to make an effort especially after reading this. But then again I might not have to result to that since I caught a glimpse of a large jar of Smucker's perserves in our other fridge. Will into the ingredients later. :)

Learning about this lead to the question of what's the difference between jelly and jams? And which one is healthier?

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I believe I have found a credible answer from the Welch's site.

What’s the difference between jelly, jam, preserves and spreads?*

These products are a blend of:

* Fruit pectin: to provide the gelling mechanism that forms the texture of the product**

* Sweeteners: (such as sugar and corn syrup) for added flavor and proper conditions for gel formation.

* Citric acid: to enhance product flavor and provide the correct level of acidity for gel formation to occur.**

* Fruit:


o Jelly is made from fruit juice

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o Jam is made from pureed fruit
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o Preserves are made from whole fruit


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o Spreads are made from whole fruit and/or pureed fruit

This information has helped me decide that I am better off consuming jams, preserves, and spreads rather then jelly. I miss spreading the actual strawberry on my toast, it must of been preserves. Can't wait to open the Smucker's. :) I hope this was helpful to you as well. Take Care.


FYI
*How to Understand
and Use the Nutrition Facts Label

*I wonder what is the difference between corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup...will plan to post that another day.

*What's The Difference Between Jelly, Jam, Preserves and Spreads?

**I'm glad Welch's answered my question on what Fruit Pectin and Citric Acid was...

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Before I had a chance to watch the video, I would dance to this at parties melting to the rhythm and his voice!

101 Foods That Could Save Your Life: Vegetarian Polish Cabbage Rolls

~~ I am soooo happy today!!! Very glad to have finally had the free time and energy to bring this recipe to life from 101 Foods That could Save Your Life by David Grotto; who is a Registered Dietitian*. I consider this book to be my Nutrition Bible!

I enjoyed eating it a lot more when my little sister and I had it for lunch today :) It was the first time in a long while that we have spent quality time together and we both enjoyed our lunch and each others company! :)


I've owned this book since February of 08, intensely reading and advising the benefits of the foods listed to family and friends and I have had my eye on the Vegetarian Polish Cabbage Roll recipe for months which you can prepare with Boca Crumbles or an alternate choice is Lean Ground Turkey. I purchased Ground Turkey :) which means I should call it Polish Cabbage Rolls since it is no longer Vegetarian! lol Since it was my first day off on a Friday! I found the opportunity to do some grocery shopping and purchased the ingredients. The yummy smell of tomatoes was mouth watering!

The stuffing inside was OMG!!! Out of This World!!! it is still teasing my tongue even after 30 to 40 minutes of eating it. My mother is coming home soon with some Ice Cream for dessert! I can't wait for the rest of my family to try it!





Voila! The photo above was googled. Now that I have a good picture of how the rolls are created, I intend to make my cabbage rolls a lot tighter for a more attractive look but then again I can't complain too much about my first attempt! Still was tastee! Mmmm Mmmmm

I wish I could share the recipe* but out of sheer and grateful respect to David Grotto for his time and efforts of sharing the many benefits of 101 Food That Could Save Your Life.; I personally highly recommend to the HIGHEST degree! to add this book to your personal Library. It is definitely worth the knowledge on knowing what foods are great to feed your body.

Please share when you do purchase the book...
Do you have your own nutritional bible that you can't live without?
Have you already made Cabbage Rolls before and what is your favorite way of preparing it? I definitely intend to get more creative with this recipe. :)

FYI
*101 Foods That Could Save Your Life Blogspot!

*I am so excited to have received permission from Dave himself to share with all of you! :)

Here it is!

Vegeterian Polish Cabbage Rolls
by Ma Tomich
Servings: 6
Prep and cooking time: 90 minutes

This recipe contains eight powerhouse foods.

Filling Ingredients:
2 cups brown rice, cooked
1 large head of cabbage
1 pound Boca crumbles or lean ground turkey
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 omega-3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons olive oil

Sauce Ingredients:
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato soup

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Core Cabbage, place in pot, and cover with water.

Bring to boil. Lower heat to medium and cover with lid and cook until slightly softened.

Remove cabbage (smells refreshingly yummy) and place on a dish to cool.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, saute onions and garlici in olive oil until transparent.

Add crumbles or ground turkey, rice, egg, vegetable broth, and pepper. Mix well. (I continued to mix until properly cooked)

When cabbage is warm to the touch, peel leaves and place on a cutting board. Divide mixture into six equal parts.

Fill cabbage leaves and roll. Place rolls with folded end down into 9 X 13 baking dish.

Combine soup and tomatoes in a seperate bowl. Ladle over rolls. Cover rolls in aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes or until cabbage is easily pierced with fork.

Break It Down....
Calories:360; Total fat: 11g; Saturated fat: 2g; Cholesterol: 60mg; Sodium: 760mg; Total carbs: 46g; Fiber: 11g; Sugar: 14g; Protein: 23g.

Enjoy! I would love to learn how your experience was! ")

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This is how Happy I am TODAY! :) Magic System's rhythm never fails!!! Can't wait to dance to this at a party!!

Experience after the Gardasil Vaccine: Left Work To Spend 4 Hours At The Emergency Room

Today I overloaded on my snack of Nature's Path Organic Flax Plus Granola ~~Pumpkin~~, which is a yum yum source of Omega 3's....due to lack of food and spending 4 hours at the Emergency Room....


Yesterday I was highly anticipating* my first Gardasil* shot. After getting my first shot, I believe I started feeling minor side effects which worsened in the evening. This morning I felt the same discomforts and was advised to go to the Emergency Room as soon as possible...but I pray that this may be of help if you or a family/friend expresses similar discomfort after taking the Gardasil shot through learning from my own experience....will explain my experience in a moment


Here is a briefing on Gardasil

GARDASIL is the only cervical cancer vaccine that helps protect against 4 types of human papillomavirus (HPV): 2 types that cause 70% of cervical cancer cases, and 2 more types that cause 90% of genital warts cases. GARDASIL is for girls and young women ages 9 to 26.*

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Human papillomavirus (HPV) affects both females and males. HPV transmission can happen with any kind of sexual, genital contact with someone who has HPV—intercourse isn't necessary.*

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Here is a FOOLPROOF reason why you should!!

Many people who have HPV don't even know it, since the virus often has no signs or symptoms. That means HPV transmission can happen without anyone knowing it.

When it comes to HPV (human papillomavirus); About 30 types of HPV are known as genital HPV since they affect the genital area.

There are 4 types of the virus you should really know about. That's because they cause the most cases of HPV-related diseases in women.

All HPV types that affect the genital area can cause abnormal Pap tests.

Please take the time to learn more if you fall between the age of 9 and 26...Links are provided below.

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You must be thinking "Ok Hermelynda....your preaching the importance of learning more about taking the vaccine but you mentioned spending 4 hours in the Emergency Room after taking the shot!!! I don't want to end up spending 4 hours in the ER!

The moment that I was given the shot, I barely felt the pinch but I did feel a slight burning sensation once it was inserted. As I was checking out, I felt a little sensation on my right forearm, which I mentioned to the nurse, she was young maybe around my age and she didn't make any efforts to make a note about it...tsk tsk tsk... I asked about the side effects and she said the common discomforts at the injection site...pain...soreness...i think she mentioned headache but all in all she didn't seem to be willing to give me her undivided attention when I mentioned my little sensation...

As I was walking back to the gym, I felt a minor tightness at different parts of my thighs and calves, the first tightness feeling was around my right hamstring. I had the urge to stretch and at times the feeling would go away. That minor tightness continued throughout the rest of the night on my arms and legs.

The best way I can describe this tightness is as if you placed a piece of tape..... the paperish type of tape the nurse would put over the cotton wool to stop the bleeding after withdrawing blood from your vein..... When you try to peel it off your skin, you'll feel this tight resistance as it comes off. That was what I was kind of feeling throughout my legs...

It got worse when I got home; when I was sitting in front of the computer, I started feeling a tingling sensation throughout my whole body and had the urge to itch all over! Occasionally I felt the tightening sensation on my muscles. Rubbing and itching would relieve the feeling but once I stopped; seconds later it would come back.

I even told my father that I might need a ride to emergency room since I started to worry when the feeling was overwhelming, he suggested I take a hot shower first. And so I did, but before I did that I was racking my brain on some of the things that I ate yesterday and wondered maybe I am having an allergic reaction.....

I mean 30 or 40 minutes before the reaction I had at least 20 crisps of True North Almond Crisps which I've tried for the first time, I ate 5 to 6 of Deerfield Farms Flaxseed mini Granola snacks which I've enjoyed on a regular basis, a half of a grilled cheese sandwich my mother brought home..heh heh*....and a bowl of generic rice chrispies with 1% milk. I had the munchies after having limited time to myself at work.

I also did some googling on Gardasil Side Effects and majority of the side effects mentioned discomfort at the injection site but not much about what I felt on my legs.

I was thinking maybe the Almond Crisps could be of suspect but all in all the shower didn't help. As I laid to rest, my legs was still tingling and giving me the itchy feeling until finally sleep took over me and I couldn't feel a thing.

I woke up not really noticing much but throughout my bus ride to work, I tried my best to sit still, making efforts not to make a scene in the bus to itch. I would cross my legs to the right...the left...the right again, lifting my tight leggings under my yoga pants thinking maybe its just the tights that are causing me to itch...randomly rubbing spots to get some relief!

I made a pit spot at Walgreens asking for a list of side effects and expressed my discomfort. Unfortunately they were unable to provide any recommendation on what could help with relief but one thing that caught my eye on the 3 page print out the pharmacist gave me was this....

.....CONTACT YOUR DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY if you experience fainting; numbness, burning, or tingling; or wheezing....

Numbness connected very well to what I was feeling and of course tingling. I didn't think twice about calling my Dr. Additionally, another sensation I was having was a weird swelling feeling ....but my legs looked perfectly fine.

So I called my Dr.'s office and spoke with the Nurse.....As I awaited her call back. My 8:30 training session with "C.M." was ready to get started. As I began her session, I couldn't help but explain my discomfort and during our session I received a call by the Nurse and was advised to check into the ER as soon as possible.

I finished up our workout, canceled my morning and afternoon appointments assuming that I would be back in the evening and prepared to go to Milton Hospital by bus.

65% of my time at the Er was spent catching up on much needed lack of sleep and watching What Not To Wear yeahhhhhhhh :) 35% of the four hour visit was describing the feelings, getting my blood drawn, discussions with the nurse and doctor, doctor doing some minor physical tests and answering questions. Throughout the whole time I was laying on the bed, I didn't feel much on my leg's, it was when I was standing that I felt everything!

The first time I met my ER doctor and described how I felt, he referred to what I think is his Blackberry and read out the side effects that he was aware of that didn't say much of what I was feeling.

Being aware of the fact that I work as a personal trainer in the gym, he questioned how often I did cardio workouts and suspected that possibly doing cardio could have influenced the sensations on my leg...especially when I mentioned that the last time I rode the stationary bike was on Tuesday and before there may have been a week gap since I don't always have time to exercise on my own due to many training sessions.

I'm like wait....no disrespect to him but I had to question that because I strongly doubt it was my spurts of cardio...it definitely had to be the shot and since his blackberry didn't explain what I felt. I passed along the print out I received from Walgreens and he took a good look at it and he made some phone calls.

It looks like the ER Dr. is now up to date on the side effects.... which I respect because I have no doubt that Dr.'s get the most update knowledge of illnesses by experience with patients rather then by the book... Our Dr.'s has so much responsibility seeing numerous patients.

All in all the nurse stated that... I think it's the National Vaccine Department will be notified of my symptoms after writing a report of everything and the ER Dr. has advised for me to see my own Dr. tomorrow and be referred to a Neurologist.

I need to mention to my doctor tomorrow that when I was walking to the bus stop to head back to work and home since I have a doctor's note not to work tomorrow that the sensation worsened....the tightness started to turn to pinches whenever I walked and I had to limp a bit to work. :/

***P.S...forgive me for being long winded, I can't help but write about everything....I am almost done :)

After sleeping for 3 hours once I arrived home, my legs do feel a lot better, note that I do not feel the overwhelming tingling sensation anymore but I do still feel an occasional urge to itch at random parts of my body more so on my legs...even while I am sitting writing this to you.

I believe my side effects is dwindling down and I look forward to a conclusion tomorrow. My little sister was perfectly fine after taking her shot so do not be paranoid due to my experience, I apologize if I did cause you to feel that way. It is fair to provide awareness for those that may end up feeling the same way and know that they were are not alone and actions need to be taken right away.

BTW..Have you taken the Gardasil Shot? Have you taken all three yet? How was your experience? If no....are you planning to?

I will keep you up to date on everything after seeing my doctor tomorrow :) Take Care.

FYI
*I was highly anticipating the Gardasil shot since I prolonged taking it due to fear of side effects, I guess my fears was so strong that I experienced side effects. lol Law of Attraction in action?...

*Are you or those you know in between 9 and 26? Click here to learn more about how Gardasil can potential protect you and loved ones from the four types of HPV

*Who Gets HPV

*I was surprised at how some people were not aware of this shot, even though it was advertised so much commercially. More so surprised by one of the nurses that was assisting my check in. Yet she was of more of a mature age so it's not something she needs to worry about personally due to her profession as a nurse should be aware of more in order to be of further assistance.

*guilty giggle, was pretty late for half of a grilled ham and cheese sandwich...

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