#NaturalHair Day!

Twitter has become a very popular HotSpot for members of the Natural Hair community. It is a truly wonderful place to chat and to get together in real time with like minded people on a daily basis. You can follow me there as @TheSistahChick. There is an awesome & very popular #NaturalHair Chat that occurs EVERY Sunday @ 10pm Eastern. I have attended for months. Through this chat I have been able to learn everything there is to know about Natural Hair as well as to launch my own Natural Hair inspired Network, Our Natural Kids. I have also met some supreme people through this venue. On Twitter it is appropriate to place the "#" symbol before a word when you want to create what is known as a "HashTag". Creating this sort of "tag" for a word allows you to search for this word as a topic. When a certain word is used by tons of people it becomes known as a Trending Topic. Today, June 1st, 2010 has been declared #NaturalHair Day on Twitter. The main goal of today's celebration was to make #NaturalHair a Trending Topic on Twitter. Natural Hair Tweeters, YouTubers, Bloggers, Entrepreneurs, & Fashionistas from across the globe came together today under their Twitter personas to attempt to make this happen by using the hashtag #NaturalHair within various tweets throughout the day. Some of my signature tweets today included:

Hi TimeLine! Today is Natural Hair day! You can help me celebrate by making #NaturalHair a Trending Topic! Please RT this :-)

Reppin #NaturalHairKids Our Natural Kids #NaturalHair http://tinyurl.com/yyfgq9b Check us Out!!

I teach my daughter to love her #NaturalHair too! My Lil Chick A TwistOut on Dry Hair #NaturalHairKids

I love my #NaturalHair! (This does not mean that I am knocking any1 elses Do) "Do" You!~

LOL, well you get the jist. I honestly don't know if we ever made Trending Topics today. But I do know that I had a blast trying! Our efforts were even mentioned on Essence.Com.

Today, June 1st, 2010, I Tweeted my messages and ReTweeted the messages of others.

Today, We laughed and joked with one another, chatted, shared.

Today, I met some new tweet buddies, local & abroad with the same interests as me. Today...was just an over all online Good time. #ThatIsAll

Thanks for reading :-)

Gorgeous Atlanta Natural (GAN) Swap N Shop

Our last meet up (5/15/10) was a Product Swap and I had such a great time! Got to hang out with my Fav Natural Sistahs PerfectlyPretty, Jinx, Monicajoi aka Knapsgirl. I also got to see Mahoganyknots and various other GORGEOUS ATLANTA NATURALS. It was a blast and I hope that everyone had as much fun as I did! This was my 1st Product Swap so I was unsure how it would work. Fortunately for us, Jinx had everything under control. For each item that you brought you got a ticket, when your ticket # is called you get to go SHOPPING! And by that i mean shopping for products. I would say there were about 30-35 Naturals in attendance, everyone came with armloads of stuff so this gave us a LOT to choose from. I came in with various items from my stash. Not things that i necessarily hated, but things that I either have in abundance or that just did not work for me.

Included in what I brought was Mixed Chicks Shampoo & Leave In Conditioner, Kinky Curly Curling Custard, Biolage By Matrix Shampoo & Conditioner, CoolAulin Conditioner by Lush to name a few.

Here is what I came out with after the Swap!

BRAND NEW Unopened jar of Taliah Waajid's Kinky Wavy Natural Herbal Style & Shine.

BRAND NEW Unopened jar of Carol's Daughter Mimosa Hair Honey.

....Very Gently Used Items

GioVanni Smooth As Silk Deeper Moisture Conditioner
Taliah Waajid's Crinkles & Curls
Carol's Daughter Hair Balm

Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Anti Humidity Smoothing Milk
Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Leave In Conditioning Cream

Darcy's Botanical Coconut & Cupuacu Butter
Darcy's Botanical Herbal Tea Leave In Spritz

PLUS Heaping Spoonfuls of Raw Unrefined Shea Butter that PerfectlyPretty shared with me (Thanks Sis!)

There were also vendors at this event!

KnapsGirl.Com was there. I STOCKED UP on Lil Better Butter. Don't think that I am playing when I say I love this stuff, cause I AM Not playin! This is the BEST butter that I have found for hair AND body. It is used by my entire family. Its subtly fragrant, perfectly blended, not too oily and full of natural ingredients. I LOVE this stuff! http://www.etsy.com/shop/knapsgirl


She also had the cutest little hairpins with her precious "Knaps" characters on them. This one sits neatly in my LittleChicks hair.


Tesa & Catrese were there with their custom Hair accesories. I got 2 lovely hair flowers.




Another vendor, whose name I didnt get, had some hot-to-death jewelry. I got 2 pairs of earrings.

...And a funky ring that I already adore!

Swap N Shops are a FANTASTIC way to try new products without spending a lot of cash. It is also a fun way to get together with like minded sistahs. If you havent had one yet in your area you definately should.

Gorgeous Atlanta Natural Meet Ups are always a blast! Check them out on FaceBook for more info.

Thanks for reading :-)

Parmesan Crusted Salmon

This was my first time making Parmesan Crusted Salmon. I was tweeting about it and @DeltaDiva35 asked for the recipe. I decide to post it. Its a combination of several recipes. I kind of made this up as i went along and I dont really measure out anything. The measurements in this recipe are to my best guestimation so if the quantities are a little off, make the adjustment. A good chef can :-)

Here is what you will need:

A baking Pan or dish big enough

1.75 lb Wild Salmon Fillet
1 1/2 cup Mayonaise
1/2 sleeve of Wheat Crackers
1/4 cup Sweet Cream Butter
Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Lemon
Minced Garlic

Dill Weed
Oregano
Rosemary
Thyme
Chives
Crushed Black Peppercorns
Salt

Prep Time : 10 min
Cook Time 30 min

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Follow by removing the Salmon from its packaging. (Rinse it off, if you want to, I do!) Pat it dry on both sides with paper towels. Find a baking pan large enough to fit the salmon, either spray the pan with Cooking Spray, or wipe it down with Canola oil. Put it AND the Salmon to the side but not together yet..

In a bowl add a 1/4 cup of Sweet Cream Butter and a tsp of minced garlic. Microwave for 30 seconds to melt the Butter. Slice your lemon in half. Squeeze in a tsp full of freshly squeezed lemon juice and add 2 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Place this bowl to the side.

Place half a sleeve of Ritz Wheat Crackers in a gallon size storage bag and crush them. Add to the crushed crackers a few shakes of pepper, 1/4 cup of Shredded Parmesan Cheese and a 1/2 tsp or 1/4 tsp (depending on your taste) of each: Dill Weed, Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme, Chives and a squeeze of lemon juice (optional - 2 short shakes of Ms. Dash Garlic & Herb Seasoning). close the bag and shake the ingredients around. To THE SIDE!!

In another bowl...Place 1 - 1/2 cup of mayo. Add a few shakes of pepper, a 1/4 cup of Shredded Parmesan Cheese, 1 tsp of minced garlic and a 1/2 tsp or 1/4 tsp (depending on your taste) of each: Dill Weed, Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme, Chives and a squeeze of lemon juice (optional - 2 short shakes of Ms. Dash Garlic & Herb Seasoning). Stir this and put it to the side please. thank you.

Go back to your salmon with your melted butter mixture and brush both sides of the salmon generously with it. Place it skin side down in your oiled baking pan. Cover the salmon now with your Mayo Mixture. A nice even coat with is much or as little as you like but cover the topside completely with it. Finish it off by spreading your crushed crackers (or breadcrumbs) mixture over the top and pressing it down firmly so its a tight coating. Place this uncovered in your preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 30 min or until flaky.

Serve with steamed veggies. It fed my family of 5! My kids have never liked salmon, but they LOVE this recipe. If you try it or even if you change it, I'd love to hear about it!

Thanks for reading!

The Bronner Bros 2010 Mid Winter International Hair & Beauty Show - Atlanta

I had a GREAT time at this event!! This is the 1st hairshow that I have ever attended and I couldnt have picked a better place to lose my hairshow virginity than the The Bronner Bros 2010 Mid Winter International Hair & Beauty Show. It was very crowded so it's good that everything was super organized. This show runs from February 20th - February 23rd. If you are into hair and in ATL this weekend you might want to check it out. I chose the $40 1 day Exhibit Hall Pass. (There are many other pricing options available, including 3 day VIP passes. See the website for details http://bit.ly/dfigm4 ) The Exhibit Hall Pass gives you access to over 300 displays of the best (or worst) that Black Hair Care has to offer. Being a Natural Chick, a lot of it did not pertain to me, but it was still fun to look & listen. I loved the many mini productions that took place from aisle to aisle. The lights, the action, the drama... it was good fun.

Even though this show did not cater to Naturals, I was able to bump into a few well known Natural Hair Product Vendors such as:

Wendy & Kim, the creators of Mixed Chicks. These 2 Chicks were super cool. It was a pleasure to meet them. It was even more cool that Kim knew who I was when I got there! (These girls really do watch our YouTube videos regarding their products!) It blew me away that she was just as excited to meet me as I was to meet her!

I spent some time @ The Taliah Waajid booth, and got a fantastic deal on some 32 oz bulk size products that I use already and some that I have yet to try. These sizes were being sold 2 for $30. I have been a fan of the TW Products for awhile, so this made me very happy and I stocked up. I got 2 of the 32 oz Herbal Condish, 1 - 32 oz Protective Mist Bodifier and 1 - 32 oz Total Body Shampoo. I have never tried the Protective Mist Bodifier before so looking forward to that. I also learned about TW's New Kinky, Wavy, Natural Kids line. (info regarding this line coming soon to Our Natural Kids - join today so you wont miss it! http://ournaturalkids.ning.com/ ) The folks running this booth were very informative and gave so many compliments regarding my natural hair, that i wanted to stay with them and never leave. Check out my review of TW Products http://bit.ly/6bEzKG

I got the deal of the century @ The Jane Carter Solution Booth. I have been wanting to try these products for awhile, so being able to get the full size 8 oz bottles for $5 bucks a piece motivates me :-) Stay tuned to my YouTube Channel for a review ( http://bit.ly/5NZLg1 ) Here is what I got:

4 oz Nourish & Shine
8 oz Revitalizing Leave In Condish
8 oz Hydrating Invigorating Shampoo - (SLS FREE) **New
8 oz Nutrient Replenishing Conditioner

I really liked the fact that Clairol used this beautiful Natural haired model during the exhibition for their Beautiful Collection.

Unfortunately I could not find any White Shea butter, every vendor that I saw only had the yellow kind.

These really cool earrings caught my eye... Thank you Earring Lady http://www.myspace.com/robynsearrings

It was a great way to spend a few hours, and I'd say it was worth it. Shouts out to my hubby for going with me and carrying all of my stuff :-) If you went tell me what you thought of it.

Can't wait to attend the Natural Hair Show in April 2010!!

Thanks for reading!!

Peace,
The SistahChick

Our Natural Kids

What a great time for Naturals! We live in a time where information can be shared and gathered with the touch of a mousepad. We can reach out to one another, learn from one another and make real connections from the comfort of our own homes. When I started my own Natural journey back in 2006 I had no idea of the wealth of information that was available. I continued my journey just the same, but without the support of other sistahs that had taken the steps before me. Today we have the YouTube Natural Hair Movement, which I am thrilled to say that I am a part of. Sistahs world wide are experimenting, learning, sharing, teaching...its a beautiful thing.

Recently, my daughter and I put together a brief 4 part video series on YouTube. (http://bit.ly/5KH2MN) The videos demonstrate the different methods and techniques that are used on my daughters (The LittleChick) natural hair. As a result of those videos we received an overwhelming amount of feedback (ideas, questions and comments) regarding the care and maintenance of our childrens kinky/curly/nappy hair.
While there are tons of blogs, sites, and YT vids dedicated to adult natural haircare, we dont find equal support for Our Natural Kids. SO...we decided to create a place devoted to our babies, where like minded folks can gather, blog, meet, share pics/vids, network and chat all in one.

Our Natural Kids is a Ning Network set up to do just that!

I believe that teaching our children to love and respect themselves just the way they are is very important and letting them love their natural hair is just the beginning!

Please Join Us!

http://bit.ly/9TDOjE

The SistahChick

The SistahChick's YouTube Channel!

I am sure that I have made reference to my YouTube Channel before, but please allow me to formerly introduce it to you. In April 2009, I decided that I would like to chronicle my Natural hair journey among other things in a way that documented as well as expressed the real me, doin what I do best and thats running my mouth! LOL. So I set up a YouTube Channel and the rest is history. By joining all of the very knowledgeable ladies of the YouTube Natural Hair Movement not only have i made some really cool friends, but I have also gotten and given some truly wonderful advice. Even though I decided to go Natural and BC'd back in 2006, I had never actually gotten to know my tresses very well, and was limited to simple Puff with Headband styles. I knew nothing about properly moisturizing, curl defining, conditioning...none of that. It was through YouTube that I learned how to properly care for, style and pamper my gorgeous 4a- 4b hair. I continue to learn daily and share knowledge as I go. As you will see, I have gotten my entire family involved in my journey and we are having lots of fun. Its been especially exciting for me and my little girl who is affectionately referred to as "The LittleChick". My decision to go Natural has opened up the door to so many things, and even led me to quit smoking! (I have been nicotene free, since June 19, 2009!!! - Check out the Freedom Series below!) Well enough with the intro... see for yourself :-) Below are several links. I hope you enjoy!

This link will take you directly to my channel, The SistahChick's Spot. Here you can view all of my videos, playlists, favorites, and also check out my friends & subscribers lists plus other need to know info!
http://bit.ly/5NZLg1

I have taken the care to categorize some of the videos that I have made into playlists (videos grouped together by topic)

Fierce 'Do's' & Smokin Hot HairStyles
Here you will see a variety of seriously HOT Natural hairstyles!!
http://bit.ly/8MccLv

Methods & Techniques
Here are some tried and true Methods and Techniques!!
http://bit.ly/4Lctvs

Natural HairCare - Product Reviews
I have tried many products during my journey and will try many more, this link will play a list of the video reviews for some of my favs!
(Remember, I am not a professional, so all of the opinions given are specific to my own personal experiences!!)
http://bit.ly/8BRqm9

Freedom - Journey to Be Smoke Free
My Freedom Series!! Nicotine Addiction is serious and quitting smoking is not easy. Follow my journey to be SmokeFree!
http://bit.ly/6wXunt

LittleChick Hair Maintenance
This is our newest series. It chronicles my daughters haircare & maintenance
http://bit.ly/5KH2MN

There are several other videos posted for your viewing pleasure. Please, check them out & let me know what you think. I also take requests, so if you have a question or an idea that you would like to see as it pertains to Natural Hair Care, etc. Please feel free to send me an e-mail to: TheSistahCafe@gmail.com. All ideas will be considered.

I plan to really expand my horizons in 2010 with vids demonstrating the preparations of some of my fav recipes and also on ideas for redecorating on a budget. Please subscribe & Stay Tuned

I appreciate, as always, that you took the time to read this :-)

Peace,
The SistahChick

Help Haiti Now!

I can't really understand why I hear talk and question of why WE (Americans) should be helping Haiti. Well, besides the fact that Haitians are fellow human beings AND our Brothers/Sisters maybe... just maybe we need reminding of how even countries WITH a government can have citizens who suffer greatly and unneccesarily because of disasters (coughKatrinacough). Right now, Haiti, has NO active government. People are dying by the minute. We CAN help. They NEED our help. We MUST help.

GOD BLESS HAITI!!!

Legitimate links & ways to donate to follow:


*Donate $10 to Red Cross earthquake relief efforts by texting the word "Haiti" to 90999 or make Red Cross donations online.
http://american.redcross.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ntld_main&s_src=F8HWA002&JServSessionIdr012=zm5vxylgg1.app194a


*clintonbushhaitifund.org
http://clintonbushhaitifund.org/


*Join Wyclef Jean's effort: Text the word "Yele" to 501501 to donate $5
http://www.yele.org/


*Go To InterAction.Org for a list of organizations that are helping
http://www.interaction.org/crisis-list/earthquake-haiti

(Be sure to verify validity before EVER donating to anything)

Bloggers Unite & Speak about this!!!

You never know what your one post will do.

Thanks for Reading

It's 2010... HapPy New Year!!

What A Year!! Can I give you some keywords to sum up my 2009? (How is that for proving that I spend way too much time on the Internet?)

The SistahChicks 2009 KeyWords

KIDS, Family, Home, Obama, Barack & Michelle, Michael Jackson, SmokeFree, The SistahChick, YouTube, Natural Hair, Tiger Woods, Carols Daughter, Mixed Chicks, Twitter, Marriage, Shea Butter, Oyin Handmade, HealthCare, OHIO, The Colts, Student Loans, OPRAH, Paula Deen, Success, The Neelys, Finances, Dreams, Admiration, goals, Positivity, PEACE

I'd say that '09 was a good year. I am not one to make resolutions, besides who ever keeps them anyway? I will try, as always, to exercize more. I will attempt to explore my spirituality more. Thats it. I started this blog about a year ago to learn to express more freely through my writing. I wouldnt say that I was 100% effective in doing so, but I will try more in the upcoming year. Click the link below my Afro below to see 2009 - A Year Review. Please enjoy the Montage!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcvRJv0xFek

Thanks for Reading and HapPy 2010!!

HaLLoWeen Or AnYTiMe ReCiPe - "Dirt"

My kids and I had a GREAT Halloween this year as usual. It's a really fun time of year for us. Besides dressing up, turning the children loose on the neighborhood, and listening to "Thriller" over and over again...Another one of our homegrown traditions is for me to make my famous "Dirt". It's a creative recipe that involves Oreos and Chocolate pudding. I have been making it for them for years. I don't care how old they get, they still look forward to it. I hope you enjoy the recipe!!

Dirt

Ingredients:
1 - standard pk of Oreo Cookies
2 - standard boxes of Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix(and whatever ingredients it calls for)
Gummy Worms

I like to do this in a clear dish so the kids can see the layers. Its simple.

Make the Pudding according to instructions on the box and fill your dish almost to the top.
Empty all of the Oreos into a Ziploc bag. Close the bag. Gently crush the Oreos with a hammer or something. Keep crushing until it has the consistancy of...you guessed it...DIRT!

Pour the crushed Oreos over the pudding.

Insert Gummy Worms so it looks like they are coming up out of the dirt.

Kids LOVE helping with this recipe. Its a fun year round treat.

Thanks for reading :-)

Atlanta Natural Hair Meet Up - 09/19

After checking my e-mail and perusing the web a little this past Saturday morning, I decided to see what was going on in YouTube. I was looking through my subscriptions when I saw a vid posted by LexiwiththeCurls titled "Atlanta Natural Hair Meet Up" and stating that this would happen... TOMORROW 3p - 5p!!! I nearly spilled my coffee scrambling to see the date of the video! Is tomorrow today?!!. omg!! Let me see! Low and behold tomorrow was today!! Yippeee! I am going! Let me call my girl Narazonia76 and let her know too AND better go get my toes done right quick. (trust me...it was time) Off I go for a Mani/Pedi. I was brimming with anticipation for this event. Why is it raining cats AND dogs??? I leave the nail shop with 10 bright blue toes, get home, log on again, and guess what?? The event is CANCELLED with a possible postponement to tomorrow. The floods were just beginning in the Southeast. The exit to the area where the event was to be held was closed off due to flooding. AwwWww...Well...ok. So what. I'll go tomorrow! I chill with the family a bit, make a grocery list and prepare to get my shopping done. Before leaving, I logged on to YouTube AGAIN...lmao and guess what? The event was back on!!. postponed till 3 but still on. It turned out that the exits were back open so it was BACK on and the rest is HISTORY! I got to spend the next 2 hours of my life fellowshipping with the friendliest, most positive, highly energetic group that I have ever encountered. Sistahs...from the lightest light to the darkest dark...2b's to 4c's...16 years old to well...ok? All beautiful. All Confidant. All Natural. We represented. We talked hair, we discussed products, we laughed, we ate, we connected...I dont even want to get into the fantastic styles that i saw. These ladies were ROCKIN some do's...omg. And let me say this...its kinda cool being recognized from YouTube!! It is!! Hoping we can do it again reaaal soon :-) Until next time...

Thanks for watching & reading!

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