Gracey Black

Hair.

graceyblack — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:18:26 +0000

I’ve been doing some research lately on how to take care of my hair. First off, my hair is very fine and there’s not alot of it like some others are blessed with. It grows slow, is flat, gets split ends easily, and doesn’t hold a style well.

I’ve tried and wasted money on way to many brand name hair care products promising to thicken, volumize, plump, boost, hold, whatever. Most are a waste of money. Herbal Essences volumizing shampoo is the only one that seems to work well without causing sores on my head after a couple days worth of use like some brands do (i.e. Organix, Pantene). Not only that, but the latest reports show that your pretty much washing your money down the drain with regular shampoo it’s not being left in your hair long enough to give the benefits the bottle or ads promise. *sigh*

Today SLS or Sulfate Free shampoos popularity are on the rise. Looks like someone let the cat out of the bag about what harmful effects these sulfates have. Sulfates help create a lather, which is nice, but is it really worth the side effects? Research it. Sulfates have been said to kill hair growth, cause hair loss, weaken the hair strands, cause split ends, and if you have colored hair sulfates can fade it quicker.

For me, sulfates are probably just part of the problem. On another article I read towel drying your hair can cause split ends, as well as brushing it when it’s wet. Use a wide tooth comb instead. I’ve also recently started taking B-complex and silica on occasion which are supposed to be great for hair and nails.

This weekend I’m heading up to St. Louis and hope to stop by Whole Foods to find some good, natural shampoo, without sulfates. I read online that Bedhead Superstar is good for fine hair. We’ll see if I can find it.

So it’s been a while and how things have changed!

graceyblack — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:01:07 +0000

So, about 7 days after my last post…. I GOT ENGAGED! WAHOO! It was quite possibly the best day ever!! I wanna do it again! LOL Just kidding… wait, no I’m not. I wish my head wasn’t spinning so much then so I would have been able to capture every second and seal it in my brain. haha

We’re getting married in May on Memorial Day Weekend. That’s only 2.5 months away. Yipes! I still have alot that needs to get done, plus I’m currently trying to figure out my job situation. *bleh*

Breathe in…. out…

graceyblack — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 00:38:46 +0000

*This is an attempt to release some frustration and relax*

My web site program is being stupid. I have no idea why. I’m know I’m doing it right and it continues to be persnickety. Bah! **CLOSE** I had this really cool design idea and now I’m spinning my wheels on it. Maybe I should stick to my plan and see it through until it’s finished. Right now I’m in the middle and afraid to proceed on the same path because it doesn’t look as good as I’d like.

I’m also tired of a certain person making me feel like a little kid. I have a brain. Recognize.

My jaw has been messed up, though at the moment it feels a bit better. I had to go to the chiropractor twice this week because of it and he want to see me more. Come on ppl I just got my car paid for! Give my money a rest!

Oh btw, did ya year that??? Car is paid off! Yay go me! *Waves victory flag*

That’s it.

I’m busy too =P

graceyblack — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 19:36:23 +0000

Isn’t it little sis’ job to copy big sis?

I’m designing, I’m multi-tasking, I’m talking, I’m thinking, I’m developing, I’m testing, I’m bookkeeping, I’m administrating, I’m standing my ground… I’m building, I’m traveling, I’m paying, I’m learning, I’m tired, I’m stressed, I’m sore, I’m alone… I’m hoping, I’m looking, I’m waiting, I’m trying, I’m succeeding, I’m dreaming, I’m devising.

And THAT is why I’m not here…

Stolen From My Sis: “10 Things I’ve Learned”

graceyblack — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:31:24 +0000

Expectations can ruin anything. Unfortunately my mind is a little overactive and puts value on things it apparently shouldn’t. Needless to say the colorful experiences of my mind often make reality quite dull and depressing sometimes. I guess that’s why there’s books… and maybe wine.
Allergies can take on new forms. When I was little I used to get a really bad rash on the back of my legs only in fall and it would itch really bad. Then when I was about 10 or 11 ?? it quit. Now I have stuffy nose, itchy eyes, and sneezing in fall. Sometimes spring too.
If you set your goals high and stick to a plan, you can achieve it.
It’s good to pamper yourself a little, but don’t do it for anyone but yourself. Fix your hair, dress nice, get your nails done… whatever makes you feel “pretty”. It’s a confidence booster and can make you feel alot better about yourself.
I really enjoy having a cat.
Any person can dissapoint you and probably will. God never fails you.
It’s really hard sometimes to trust God.
It’s even harder when you ask for his plan or guidance, but don’t feel led in any particular direction. Faith.
A broken heart can be put back together, but it will never be the same.
Doing things for someone else is alot more fun than doing them for yourself.

Summer’s Farewell

graceyblack — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 19:55:56 +0000

I’m not sure how it happened, but summer has just about passed. I’m extremely saddened to see it go after the painfully long, cold winter we had last year. Growing up I never remember the winters being as bad as they have the last 2 years. Maybe it was just because I was more concerned with snow igloos instead of driving and ’going out’ in it. Needless to say, I’m far from ready for it again. I like snow only if it follows the same-day-surgery mentality.

Work (my business) has been busy lately. This week I’ve been working on a report and presentation for my client to use in a meeting. Charts, graphs, illustrations, and fun fun. Along with that I have two web site projects going and expect to be working on some more brochures in the next month or so. God has been blessing me with work… and clients that pay. It’s allowing me to succesfully realize the goal I set for myself this year. I may be a month / month in a half late, but seeing as how I set the goal high I’m feeling really good about it.

Kids and Learning

graceyblack — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:31:29 +0000

Whenever I have kids I want to teach them how to do lots of things and be involved in alot of different activities: maybe dance, karate, basketball, piano lessons, swimming… whatever they like. I kind of wish my parents had pushed me to be involved in more stuff like that when I was younger. I don’t want to consume their every hour, I just want their knowledge to be diverse.

The other night at the dinner table I was thinking over another way to teach kids about different cultures, manners, etc. It would be cool to divide up the weeks of the month and devote it to a certain culture’s style of eating, or eating in a formal environment.

Week 1 – Mexican: Cooking styles and foods, use mexican eating dishware, research mexican eating customs?, etc.
Week 2 - Chinese: stirfry’s, wontons, and other foods, teach them to use chopsticks, etc.
Week 3 – Thai / Indian: (you get the jist of it)
Week 4 – Formal U.S dining and manners
Week 5 – Italian

Anyway, I thought it would be a fun family experience. They’ll complain about some of it I’m sure, but tuff cookies. It’s a learning experience too and they’ll thank me later.

Gimmie Gimmie, It’s Mine!

graceyblack — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:16:44 +0000

I’m currenly wishing I had as much money as the work I’ve put in the last two months. Lucklily one of my jobs pays weekly, but the other, my business doesn’t. I’ve been able to operate off of a pay-by-project billing method, but that’s going to have to get changed or revised. I’ve got several clients now who’s projects frequently go into a limbo or waiting for response period. Don’t get me wrong, these are good clients. They just have a lot going on and aren’t able to keep balls rolling as smoothly as others. I currently have about 20 hours accumulated over the last month that I haven’t gotten paid for. What’s worse is that, I had to take time out of my “steady” job to put in those hours. So I lost money there too. Or, not so much lost…. it’s just delayed income.

I’m sure I will get paid, but this delay is hurting my payoffthecarnow! goal. Last month I couldn’t hit my goal for the first time. The month before I barely made it thanks to a sales bonus. Meh. I would really, really like to be able to hit the goal I made for August.

So, this delay has started me researching graphic design billing systems. I started devising one yesterday, but it’s rough and may need some tweaking. I think the core is pretty solid and should be pretty simple for customers to understand. And that’s important.

Meanwhile, I’m trying to keep the balls rolling with my clients and stay in touch. (Oh, I mean hassle them so I get some money. hah)

– Follow Up – Sep 9, 2010

Notice: I did get my billing system laid out and it’s working well so far! It’s a combo of bi-weekly, retainers, and per project methods. New clients, current clients, and long-term clients all may have a different billing type. The type & length of project may also determine billing system used. I don’t want to detail it all here, so if you want to know more just let me know.

The Thief Comes Only To Steal, Kill, and Destroy

graceyblack — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:47:05 +0000

I was bored last night. Tired of watching the TV, and yearning for direction, I decided to visit one of my favorite web sites: Boundless.org. Occasionally it will quench my thirst with a cool drink of water.

Paging through the newest articles, I found one by Tim Sweetman called In Security. The main jist of the article was about trusting God. “Why am I sometimes frozen by fear of the future, unable to make any decisions or trust God?” – Tim writes. “To the human eye, so much of this life does not make sense. It just seems to be full of confusion, uncertainty, and sin.”

I can definitely vouch for that, especially the first two. What was most re-assuring was knowing that our God, Jesus, is not here to confuse us. That is all the work of Satan!

Satan is the king of confusion. He relishes the lost. The confused. The soul-dying, bitterness-plagued, heart-wrenched men and women who are consumed with circumstances out of their control. He loves it when they continue desperately trying to change those circumstances on their own.

The nerve of that guy, eh!? The truth is that we shouldn’t be confused. And we shouldn’t worry about being confused. God has laid out how we should live our lives. He doesn’t always give the details or lay out the fine print of what that entails for each of us though. That’s what I, and I think most people, struggle with the most.

God makes known the path of life to us (Psalms 16:11). And if we trust in the Lord, He will make straight our paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).

So, why are you confused? Maybe you’re not trusting God?

Tim writes: “When I get overly anxious about my life and the future, my thoughts of God are small. I think very little of his power over my life and authority over all of history.”

How true is that? We often turn to God when someone needs prayer, or bills need paid, but how often to we turn to him when seeking direction?

If I know all the details of my life, I’ll never grow; I’ll never trust on God and His power. I must desire to learn and grow in faith, and there’s no possible way I will do this if I have an exhaustive knowledge of God’s plans and purposes for my life.

Don’t fear, worry, or plague your mind with the unknown. Give it all to God, trust that He is guiding your path, and live according to His word.

I’m not going to lean on my own understanding, and I’m not going to allow fear to cripple me and force me to do nothing at all. I’m going to move forward with peace, confident in a sovereign God who is in control of a flawed failure like myself who is feebly striving to live for His glory.

Random Rants

graceyblack — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:36:33 +0000

Today is a busy day. I’ve got magazine ads to work on, some logos to tweak, and web sites that need editing. It’s all good and I am having fun working on it. Despite that I just feel somewhat aggravated and need to do some random venting. So don’t mind me!

First… I hate having conversations on the phone! I never have liked it. I think I get it from my mom because she doesn’t either. It’s just annoying, especially with cell phones. Most are too small and can’t reach your mouth and ear at the same time. You can’t hold them while doing other stuff. The signal is typically wack on one side or the other. You can’t tell when the other person is going to talk so you spend half of the conversation saying “no go ahead” or “what did you say?”. It’s just annoying!

Second… where’s my freakin’ fairytale! If even just the horse. lol Dammit.

Third… Hoping to please certain people is a waste of effort and I quit.

Fourth… I want my money! hahaha Where’s it at? Oh yeah… *looks outside* There it is!
*3-4 months left* *crossed fingers*

Fifth… why is it so cold in here!!! 90 degrees outside and I’m sitting in here with goosebumps.

Hm, ok I feel better Back to work