NASCAR Fans...Did You Know....

Calling all NASCAR Fans out here in the cyber world....did you know there is an album out that is nothing but NASCAR songs. All about NASCAR...it doesn't matter whether you are a petty or Earnhardt fan...it has something for you.

Just go to ITUNES.....it is only $4.95 and you can then download the entire album! How fabulous is that. The title of the album is Racing Country and the artist is Ray Steele and ....oh boy does his voice sound great...these are some super fantastic songs for the NASCAR fan. The lyrics are of exceptional quality and tell the stories with music. This album includes such titles as Lap of Victory (I think this one is my favorite...but they are all super good), 43 Cars, and New 88 (I think we all know who this one is about!!)

Click the title of the album RACING COUNTRY and it will take you right on over to the album...you don't even have to search for it!!

Come on NASCAR Fans....what are you waiting for....this is a super deal to get some music about the guys that we all love!!!

Going Frugal & as "Green" as Possible

Many things have happened in my life in the past year that has caused me to step back and take a long, hard look at the way I do things. The one thing that has been and is always foremost in my mind is my husband's illness. When faced with the possibility of losing the one you love will really cause a person to change many things.

Because of the drugs that he has to take for his illness, many smells are quite nauseating. So..no scents in laundry detergent, lotions, etc. Do you know just how difficult it is to purchase laundry detergent and lotions with NO scent? Out of necessity, I have begun to make my own laundry and dishwasher detergent, as well as my own lotion and face creams. I even started making our own soap. Not only do these items not have any scent...they don't have all those chemicals that have names I can't pronounce.

My sweet darling also has some issues with food...either not tasting good...or just downright tasting terrible...I won't tell you what he said it tastes like! So...this has necessitated in trials of many different foods. Of course, we started with the pre-packaged and store bought packaged items...we have slowly sifted through them and there are so many that he can't eat for one reason or another.

However, here lately I have begun to prepare only fresh foods...many from the garden and guess what...he can eat most of it. So I am constantly trying out new recipes to try to give him the nutrients he needs and hopefully the taste that he can tolerate.

Oh...and there is an advantage for myself that I have noted as well.....by eating more healthy...I am losing weight...which I definitely needed to do.

Today, I was doing my regular blog hopping and ran across a blog that had a recipe for personal sized baked oatmeal...I looked at all the ingredients and thought...he can eat this and it sounds good!

You guessed it....I just finished baking them....so he hasn't tried them yet...but I did and they are so YUMMY and all natural!!

Now...I already told you I was on so many different blogs...but I did finally figure out where I saw this recipe and you can get it over at the Sugar-Free Mom Blog. She has quite a few recipes that I will be trying.

If you want to try out the Personal Sized Baked Oatmeal then hop on over by clicking on the title of the recipe. She also has a low-fat protein version of these as well.

Let me know if you have tried them and what you think. I would also like to know of any other recipes that you think might be interesting that I can use!

My Journey to BSL Hair

I still have about 4 book reviews that need to written on this blog....however...today I am going to tell you about something that I have periodically done throughout my life. The thing I will inevitably do is decide that I will grow my hair very long. My hair will grow until I get a "wild hair" and then I go get it cut...sometimes really short. I am one of those people that really does not like being on the front end of the camera....I am much more comfortable being the photographer...so there aren't really a lot of photos of me. So, I will  use my Christmas photo from 2010 to give you an idea how long my hair was before it got cut. Here is a pic of me in December 2010.

I know it is a little hard to see but when it was out straight my hair was a little below my shoulder. In this photo I had recently gotten approximately 3 inches cut off.

Now let's move forward to February 2011. Take a look at this one. I thought I wanted short hair...after all when you get older shouldn't you have a shorter hairstyle? That is what I've always heard. There was no middle ground haircut here. I walked into my hairdresser with hair below my shoulder and walked out looking like this photo below. This photo was snapped when I got home from the hairdresser.

I was told by co-workers, friends and family how good the cut looked and how it made me look 10 years younger. Oh I was wallowing in all of these compliments. So I kept that hairstyle going. Then in May 2011....I went and got the same haircut. At some point between the May trip to the hairdresser and September 2011, I realized that I really did NOT enjoy this hairstyle. For one thing, I do not like having to spend a lot of time "fixing" my hair every morning. Having to use the curling brush/iron, the gels, the hairsprays.....these styling aids are just not something that I enjoy using. So, I decided at that point.....My hair going to be long again. Here was my hair in September 2011.

You can tell by the length of the hair in this September photo that I had recently made the decision to go back long. It is just beginning to grow back out. The next photo shows that my hair was at the top of my shoulders by December 2011. 

Now there have been a few trims to get my hair in really good shape between this photo and the next photo that was taken on July 6, 2012. 

You can look at this photo and tell that my hair is in pretty good shape. I do not take hair vitamins...as a matter of fact...I don't take any vitamins and I also eat very little meat. Most of my protein is plant based. This is not due to any agenda...I just don't care for meat.

I recently found a super forum for people with long hair or trying to grow their hair long. It is called The Long Hair Community. There is a huge wealth of information for anyone who is trying to grow their hair long or wanting to have healthy hair. I am still trying to find my way around the forum...but I know that it is going to be the perfect place for me at this moment.

Now...in the title to this post I used the initials BSL. This refers to a hair length that is at the bra strap. There are others. Here are some of the ones that I think are pertinent for me right now,

APL - Arm Pit Length

BSL - Bra Strap Length

BCL - Butt Crack Length

TBL - Tail Bone Length

One other length that I found interesting is what is called the classic length. Do you want to know what it means to have classic length hair? Well....I did, too! Classic length hair is the hair that is at the crease of the buttocks and thigh...pretty long. However...there are ladies on The Long Hair Community that have hair much longer.

Do you want to grow your hair and have it be healthy? Come join us on the forum at The Long Hair Community.

I will post updates monthly on my hair growth. Be sure to check back to continue with this saga!