Today's Scripture

Living the Abundant Life

"The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)"(John 10:10, AMP)
Too many people today have a barely-get-by mentality, "Barely able to pay my bills, got an okay job, an okay marriage." Friend, don’t settle there. Jesus came so we could live an abundant life! That means an abundance of joy, an abundance of peace, an abundance of health, an abundance in our finances.
God’s dream is that you not only be blessed, but that you are so blessed that you can be blessing everywhere you go. He wants you to live an abundant life so that it overflows on to the people around you. We should have so much peace, so much joy, so much victory that when other people get around us, they begin to feel it. It affects them.
You may not be seeing it right now, but don’t get complacent and just settle where you are. Begin to declare by faith today, "Jesus came to give me abundant life." "My needs are supplied in abundance so that I can be a blessing to others." As you stay in faith, you’ll see your circumstances begin to turn around. You’ll see God move on your behalf, and you’ll experience the abundant life He has prepared for you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

"Heavenly Father, today I release all the cares and burdens that are trying to drag me down. I know that You have a good plan for my life. I will continue in the faith and ask that You breathe Your new life throughout my whole being today. In Jesus' Name. Amen"

Today's Scripture

Offer Praise Continually

"Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name"(Hebrews 13:15, NLT)
Praise is a powerful weapon. Many times in the Old Testament when God's people would go into battle, they would send the worshipers out first. That's because praise precedes the victory. When you live a life that offers Him continual praise, you are setting yourself up to see continual victory.
Praise is more than just singing songs in church on Sunday. In fact, praise isn't even about singing songs. Praise is a heart attitude. Praise in your heart will prompt singing, but it can also manifest in many different ways. You can give Him praise in your words, your actions, and the way you live your daily life. Every time you obey His Word, when you continually follow His commands–even when it's uncomfortable, even when we don't feel like it, even when we are tired – that's offering a sacrifice of praise to Him.
As you go throughout your day, take time to acknowledge Him. Remember to put Him first and continually offer Him praise. As your praise goes up, His blessings come down. His peace comes down. His joy, His strength, and His victory will overtake every area of your life!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

"Father in heaven, today I choose to offer You continual praise. I choose to follow Your Word so that You may be glorified through me. Let everything within me honor and glorify You. In Jesus' Name. Amen."

R&R Time!

Hello All!

I am taking a hiatus for a week because I will be on vacation for the holiday and I am going to be away from all electronic devices. (strict orders)

I love you all and I will be back next week!

Healthy Living!

I want to make sure I cover all of the basis for my readers to keep you coming back for more. We always talk about hair, makeup, and fashion, but none of that is any good if the body is not properly taken care of. We have to keep the canvas clean!

With that in mind, I have decided to post weekly healthy living ideas that any diva can use.

My very first one will be now:

Green Tea!

I know you have heard over and over how green tea is good for you, but there are some truths to this phenomena, believe me.

I drink green tea daily, especially in the winter months. I read where drinking hot water helps kill the virus that causes H1N1. If you drink hot water w/green tea, you get two benefits at one time. Antioxidants such as polyphenols in green tea can neutralize free radicals and may reduce or even help prevent some of the damage they cause. You can go to http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/green-tea-000255.htm to read the long list of benefits from drinking green tea. It is also said to fight the agents that cause numerous types of cancers.

As with anything, there are always side effects. Even though they are slight, you should still educate yourself before trying out this tea. You can find them listed at http://www.amazing-green-tea.com/green-tea-side-effects.html

I have been drinking it for years and at 41 years of age, I rarely have a cold(I have not had one in over a year), my allergies are very slight compared to before I started drinking green tea, and my weight stays pretty even(considering I can't get to the gym three times a week due to school).

My favorites are Tazo Green Tea The Vert and Bigelow Green Tea brands. I only sweeten mine with Sugar in the Raw Natural Cane Sugar (1 tablespoon) but you can add more to your liking.

Try it and tell me what you think!

Happy Health!

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Visits from God!

"…And God has visited His people [in order to help and care for and provide for them]!"(Luke 7:16, AMP)

Every person has times of visitation from the Lord. These are the times when God distinctly intervenes in our lives to bring us help, direction, care, and provision. He's ordained special times to pour out His love, favor, and blessing. It may be through a person we meet, an unexpected promotion, or supernatural favor so that in a split second we are thrust years ahead. These marked moments in our lives keep us on the course of our destiny.
When you really understand this point, you don't have to be frustrated because things aren't happening as fast as you'd like. You don't have to worry about how things will turn out. All you have to do is stay in faith, knowing that God is directing your steps. As long as we keep believing, our marked moments are on their way. Don't allow the enemy to steal your joy or distract you by getting you focused in the wrong direction. Remember, God is on your side, and He is leading you and guiding you in the path of victory in every area of your life!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

"Heavenly Father, thank You for Your divine favor and direction on my life. I choose to release my cares today and trust wholeheartedly in You. Teach me to recognize those marked moments so that I can give all the glory and praise to You! In Jesus' Name. Amen."

My First Blogger Award!

My fashion buddy and sister in Christ, Deanna Jackson over at http://divinelifecollection.blogspot.com/ nominated me for the Kreativ Blogger Award. I am honored, but I don't feel worthy because there are so many great blogs out there that make mine look like child's play. Well, I am still honored and I feel like I won an Emmy.

This is inspiration for me to make sure I give you all the best I have in the world of blogging and live up to the compliment.

I am passing on the tradition!

Here are the rules to follow:

1. Thank the person who nominated you for the award.

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

3. Link to the person who nominated you for the award.

4. Name 7 things about yourself that people may not know.

5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.

6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

7. Leave a comment on each.

7 Things About Me You May Not Know:

1. I love buttered popcorn and I eat it 3x a week

2. I'm a momma's girl

3. I was once a radio DJ

4. I'm afraid of scary movies

5. I'm a Senior @ The University of Missouri - St. Louis

(BS in Sociology w/Minor in Criminology)

6. I'm exhausted due to sleep deprivation (school & work - both full-time)

7. My honey & I are trying to have our first baby - (in our 40's)

(It will probably happen after I graduate due to the sleep deprivation)

My 7 Nominations are:

1. http://www.curlynikki.com/ for wonderful natural hair advice that saved my hair.

2. http://www.thecurlycafe.blogspot.com/ for a great mix of natural hair info and great conversation on great topics surrounding women today

3. http://thefeistyhouse.blogspot.com/ for great natural hairstyle ideas and product reviews

4. http://www.bglhonline.com/ for a wealth of natural hair info and highlights

5. http://www.browngirlgumbo.blogspot.com/ for a mix of fashion, food, and more

6. http://www.nappylicious.blogspot.com/ for great natural hair tips, conversation, and hot topics

7. http://www.nappystl.com/ - A newbie to my blog listing, but a keeper no doubt.

A special shout to http://www.curvygurlchronicles.com/ and http://www.chicchocolatedc.blogspot.com/ !

Congrats on your rewards and you know you are on my list - but you already have one! :)

Question!

This question is to my natural hair readers.

How often do you co wash, shampoo, whatever your routine a week? I am finding that I am really lazy when it comes to this. I am a full time student and a full time employee and I have a life, so the last thing on my schedule sometimes is my hair(next to laundry).

Since I have the pin-up, I find myself only co washing once every seven days, but I read where people do their hair every three to four days. Please let me know what works best for you because I am noticing more shedding since I am waiting and I wonder if this is good. I know not combing through your hair for seven days will result in shedding, but I just want to hear what you all think.

Thanks for any feedback.

Much Love!

Lazy in the Lou!

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Get Your Fire Back!

"For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you…"(II Timothy 1:6, NIV)

I believe that God has planted seeds of greatness on the inside of every one of us. We all have dreams and desires, things we want to accomplish; things we want to see changed. But so many times, life has a way of stealing our dreams. We go through disappointments, face adversity, things don't turn out as we would like. Too often, we just end up settling for second best. But God doesn't want us to settle for second best. He wants us to be determined, press on, and pursue the greatness that's on the inside. We should never let "good enough" be good enough!
I want to encourage you today to stir yourself up and get your fire back. Start speaking victory over your future. If one dream has died, dream another dream. Put yourself in a positive, faith-filled environment. Get around people of excellence who live passionately. Fan the flame that is in you so you can move forward into all God has in store for you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

"Father in heaven, I come to You today giving You my disappointments, setbacks, hurts, and broken dreams. I ask that You restore my passion and vision for the future. Let Your flame burn brightly in me now and forevermore. In Jesus' Name. Amen."

My Wish List - Christian Louboutin!

I have a sick shoe fetish, but I am particular about how much I will spend on one pair.

But there is something so sexy and boardroom diva(ish) about these shoes! I am usually not a "glitter" shoe girl, but even these would look good with a pair of jeans and a cute sweater or you could pair them with a pair of leggings and a dark sweater dress for the holidays. Just make sure not to sexy them up too much or you will look like something you don't want to look like if you know what I mean.

As for the print shoes below, well the look says it all! What a great way to add flavor to a neutral ensemble. I love wearing all one color and adding pop at my feet with a burst of color or print.

Now if only Mr. Louboutin were in my price range................... Oh well, a girl can dream!

Oh and by the way, the shoes I have on in the previous pic are Carlos Santana. His shoes are great and very reasonable. They are also very comfortable which is great for a girl like me who loves stilettos!

Jazzy feet are always in fashion!

Happy Fashion!

Hair Update!

Well ladies, I did another nice "chop" of hair to rid myself of those straight, relaxed ends. Here are some pics of a twist out that for some reason looks like a roller set. Oh well, I rocked it for 4 days, then I went to my trusted pin-up for 3 more days. The picture of me and the girls is an example of my pin-up. It's blurry because it was taken with a friend's Sprint phone. SORRY!

My pal LaCasey and I at the office on jean Friday!

I barely untwisted the back because I liked the curl pattern (all natural)

HAPPY HAIR!

Today's Scripture

Take Hold of the Dream

"…despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us."(Romans 8:37, NLT)

Many people struggle with letting go of past hurts and failures. They get caught up in how unfair their situation is. And the whole time, their dreams are lying dormant and unfulfilled. It's time to realize that in order for a new door to open, you must let old ones close behind you. Maybe you got off to a rough start in life. You may have had more than your share of setbacks. Let me encourage you. It's not how you start but how you finish that counts.
It may seem like your dreams have died, but God can bring them back to life. Your future is not determined by your past. But holding on to the past will keep you from moving forward. God has already given you the victory. He wants you to take hold of the dreams He's given you. He will see to it that they come to pass as you obey Him and give Him your whole heart.
You can go beyond where you are today. Your best days are not behind you, they are in front of you. Shake off past discouragements, and take a step toward your dreams. Choose today to stop looking back, and fix your eyes forward on the new beginning God has for you.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

"Father in Heaven, today I choose to let go of the things of my past. I realize that despite circumstances, I have the victory through Christ. I ask you to show me any dreams that are lying dormant, and bring them back to life in new ways. In Jesus' Name. Amen"