Healthy refreshment : My homemade Punjabi Mango Lassi adaptation!

Last Saturday I was talking to a friend before heading to the salon to get my hair done and I mentioned to her that I would fix some Mango Lassi before going out! She did not know what a Mango Lassi was so I explained it to her before I started telling her about some great Indian spices she could use for health as well as beauty treatment! One spice I told her to shop for is turmeric! A spice I love to add in many things and you can read more about it on my article:  http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/01/benefits-of-turmeric.html
Anyway, since some of you might not be familiar with Lassi I guess I can give you too a little introduction to my Mango Lassi before sharing my version of it! I say my version because I am not sure that there is such a thing as the perfectly authentic Mango Lassi recipe. I think it initially starts with yogurt and mango but who knows how it finishes...

N'na's own: Mango Lassi

Lassi is a popular and traditional Punjabi-yogurt drink from India and Pakistan that is generally enjoyed fresh as a refreshment during hot weather. Punjab is simply a region in North western India and Pakistan, just in case you wonder what's a Punjabi yogurt! Punjab means the land of five rivers "Panj" means "five" and "ab" means "water"! I know I am sharing a recipe here but a little culture is good for you! Might as well feed the intellect too while we are talking recipe!




 So...Lassi  is made by blending yogurt with water or milk and adding some Indian spices. I think Punjab yogurt includes curry and turmeric among their Indian spices.  There are quite a few variations for the drink such as salted lassi, sweet lassi, mango lassi etc. The drink is called different things in different parts of the world! For example, in Turkey, a drink similar to Lassi is called Aryan,  while in Afghanistan and Iran a similar drink is called Doogh!

 Here on the left is a picture I found online of an Ayran drink, it's a yogurt and mint drinkThis one is a picture I found online representing a Doogh drink.


Anyway, to fix some Mango Lassi you mainly need Mango and Yogurt! I used plain Vanilla Yogurt. Don't worry,by the time I add some spices of my choices it will not be that plain.... I can guarantee that!!!!
In addition to Mango and Yogurt you add water or milk!
I personally would not add dairy milk to mine (having Yogurt is enough for me) I would suggest you add coconut milk, I think it's more tropical (smiles)...well that's my humble opinion...
Alright...what else..? Well...  let's  just use the pictures as a guide since they say a picture is worth a thousand words I will use them to save me some typing...

N'na's own: Mango Lassi in progress

I don't think that the recipe would specify to use some frozen mangoes but my version does! I am using some frozen mangoes as well as fresh mangoes. I always keep a stash of frozen fruits because it adds more texture to my drinks and I can benefit from them already being cold! I do my best to avoid crushing or adding ice simply because I want to take advantage of my blends full flavors and not 'water down the taste'.

In trying to decide what to add I am turning to my special 'natural medicine cabinet"! I call  this kitchen cabinet my 'natural medicine cabinet' because I use most of the things in there for their health benefits! More on that later.

Having to choose between water or milk I actually opted for coconut juice. I figured plain water would be boring to my taste buds and I was not in the mood for coconut milk! Coconut juice was a great compromise! I used about 1/4 of the can. (Next time I will try my Lassi with rosewater and let you know how it turns out)

Well... I know I said it's a Mango Lassi but it's my drink so I can add whatever I desire...I was thinking that the taste of pineapple juice and some pineapple could add extra flavors to my drink. You know...take it to the next level!!! I love flavors! So I used a couple of slices and blended them with a little bit of pineapple juice.

I sweetened with a little bit of honey this is truly optional, and figured I could make use of some spices from my ' natural medicine cabinet'! After all a Lassi include Indian spices... so I selected my own spices Ginger, Caraway, Fennel and a little bit of turmeric! I was actually hoping to add some Cardamon as one of my main spices but I did not have any left! I could have used other spices too but I figured my first selections were alright. I only added a few pinches of  my chosen spices.

I poured my mixture to my glass, decorated with some fresh mint from my garden and topped my drink with some crushed pineapple and mangoes. Why add the crushed pineapple and mangoes? I just felt that my promising refreshment could handle some extra 'texture' and hmm was I right! It was so good.... 

N'na's own: Mango Lassi

I did refrigerate my drink just a few minutes until I was ready to savour it!
I poured some in a glass and saved the rest for later enjoyment!
Keep in mind that the drink should be refrigerated before drinking, it's meant to be chilled and served as a refreshment for a hot day! I was able to enjoy mine without a long refrigeration simply because I have used some frozen mangoes in addition to the fresh ones!

Doesn't it look good????Now...you knoooow it tastes good! If it has mango alone it tastes good! Add all those other ingredients and it taste GREAT! Hey that's N'na's Mango Lassi! Taking a simple drink to the next level!That's the kind of things you drink and you smile for not apparent reasons...so..soooo....gooood!!!

N'na's own: Mango Lassi

 The leftover was a delicious treat later on in the day...

N'na's own: Mango Lassi

Voila, N'na's own version of a delicious refreshment! Mango and Pineapple Lassi! To be honest I haven't heard of pineapple Lassi, it's always Mango Lassi that I hear about but nobody said I could not come up with my personal variation! So from coconut juice to pineapple and some unexpected ingredients like Caraway and Fennel, my Lassi was not just delicious it turned out to be a very healthy refreshment!

Now, I have read that one variation of Lassi make people drowsy, that might explain why I yawned so much when I was at the salon getting my hair done! Who knows? I probably should blame the fact that I went to bed really late the night before (making a face)!

 If you have never tried a Mango Lassi it's worth trying, I guess any kind of Lassi is worth trying, but I can only recommend what I know for sure to be very tasty! Mangoes are delicious and are one of the healthiest fruits you can eat! It's also a great fruit for skin care and hair care treatments....if you want to know more about that you will just have to come back another time! Stay tuned! Become a Follower by joining this blog if you are new here, Like the facebook page Healthy can be done and Follow Goodhealthdiva on twitter as well! Alright that's it for today, hope you enjoyed learning about my adaption to Mango Lassi.
 I don't mess with alcoholic beverages so for a hot weather refreshment packed with health benefits I greatly recommend that you give the Mango Lassi a try!

Are you a Lassi drinker? If yes, what kind of Lassi do you drink? What's your favorite (healthy) hot weather refreshment?

The benefits of gardening: A sneak peek at my natural garden

Hello friends!
Hope all is well with you all! I know you all have noticed that it's Springtime... With the weather improving I am less often around my laptop and I am more busy getting my hands in the dirt!  Those past days I have been more active outdoors taking full advantage of the sun and especially....especially admiring my humble & enchanting N'natural garden in bloom! Yeaaah!!!

You know when we talk about living a natural life, being healthier and improving our lives, I think gardening should be at the top of the list of things that are recommended for a better body and a better life the natural way!
Think about it, to garden you have to move, carry things, dig, pull, lift, bend...well, you get the point...you got to stay mobile right? Well, that's great exercise and you don't have to time yourself or do some monotonous repetitive motions like when you are at the gym etc. You get the added benefits of seeing birds flying around, enjoying the breeze blow when you need it most, and you even get a free tan!

 Well those are just some benefits of the actual labor...Talking of labor I am sore right now, I feel like I have lifted some weights...when you think about the bag of 2 cf potting soil, the bags of 2cf mulch,  some weed pulling and moving some planters etc. I have had a good work out for the last 5 hours.  Time goes by so fast when you are doing something you enjoy, gardening is one such thing for me!!!
So I have had a good work out in while doing some gardening but I was in a great mood the whole time I was working and this is why...




Pink knock out roses and Salvia in bloom April 2011.
N'na's garden.

 

Yes, many of my flowers are in bloom! There are a few more roses and other flowers that are reserving me some surprises but today these flowers smiled at me....



Blaze roses and Clematis in bloom April 2011.
N'na 's garden




Mint, Clematis and more April 2011.
N'na's Garden

Clematis and Blaze climbing rose in bloom April 2011.
N'na 's garden.


  And I smiles right back! I got to be honest with you, it's much prettier in reality! Seeing them in bloom, and watching the bees actively flying around the Salvia... I have been waiting for Spring with much anticipation! Today I was enchanted!
It was 4:30 pm before I finally had lunch. I am exhausted but I am so pleased. Gardening is such a rewarding activity! If you are a gardener I am sure you will agree with me!!!




Pink knock out roses, Iceberg Roses, Salvia in bloom April 2011
N'na 's garden.

Two days ago I got the pleasure of fixing my dinner with some lettuce from my container garden.
I have a big yard but I am not up for tilling and all so in my first attempt at growing some vegetables I created a small container garden on my deck. I have a lot of experience growing herbs in containers and this year I ventured into lettuce, broccoli, peppers and Brussels sprouts. So for a newbie I am so excited to see that I can now fix my salad with home grown lettuce! Yeaaah! I will keep you posted on my progress with the other plants.

My first dinner plate with home grown lettuce! Yeaahhh!

For now all I wanted to do was share with you how rewarding gardening is to me! From enjoying the beauty of flowers in bloom to the satisfaction of home grown produces, gardening is truly one of the most rewarding Natural Hobby one can have!
If you are not used to gardening give it a try this season it will totally improve the quality of your life. A few years ago my husband had a coworker who started to garden and he reported that she lost a lot of weight as result and she was a nicer person to be around! I think that it has some great psychological benefits! It's a great outlet!

Iceberg and Catmint in bloom May 2010 in N'na's garden!

One thing I love to do when my flowers are in bloom is to create small vases and treat a neighbor or one of my husband's coworkers to some fresh flowers! It's a small gesture but I have been told many times that they brighten their days in ways I could not expect and that I always seem to know the right time to deliver my small gift! I also love to make some tea bags or some sachets with the herbs from my garden and offer them as gifts!


Iceberg roses in bloom May 2010 in N'na's garden!


Gardening has the power of bringing people together. I had neighbors share their cucumbers, squash or okra with me and it's always exciting to receive fresh produces that are unquestionably organic (lol)!

 N'na's favorite:  Joseph's Coat Climbing Roses May 2010!
This is my favorite rose from my garden will tell you why later! It will soon be in bloom...

 If you are concerned that you might not have a green thumb just take a chance! It starts as a very small investment with very great reward! I say starts because once you fall in love with gardening you will invest more, but the reward will always outweigh the costs!  

Since gardening is one of my passion you will get to read more and see more pictures this Spring and Summer! Last year I took hundred of pictures, this year I will get to share some old and new pictures with you all.  I hope you enjoyed your little tour in N'na's garden. (Smiles). Please come by often, become a Follower here, Like the facebook page Goodhealthdiva and spread the word. I love hearring from you so leave your comments and let me know...

Do you have a green thumb? What's your favorite thing to grow? Do you garden for pleasure (flowers) or for consumption (food)? What's to you the most rewarding thing about gardening? If you are not much of a gardener are you now inspired to become one?




N'na

Natural hair: Bantu knots, a little History lesson about Bantu's origins

Being born and raised in Africa I remember learning in my elementary history classes about the Bantu! I remember how I was fascinated to learn about many of the kingdoms in Africa and how the Bantu ruled many African Kingdoms.  Growing up on what some will refer to as “The Motherland” I was taught at an early age about African History and I was extremely fascinated with my heritage. I might not remember everything that was taught to me at my young age but I have kept my respect for the culture and pride in knowing where I come from.

Today, with many people referring to Bantu Knots as a hairstyle for people enjoying Natural hair I wanted to share some about the origins of the Bantu and some facts that are probably unknown to most people.  A little while ago I did an interview about my friend's hair journey, her chosen name is Africa. Below is a picture of one of her good friends in Bantu knots!

A few random facts about Bantu

• Bantu knots are also called Zulu knots you will see why as you keep reading.
• Bantu originated from West Africa. It’s through many waves of migration that they spread through other parts of the continent!

• Among the groups that were taken as slaves from Africa, Bantu comprised most of the African slaves. So sad to say, but many of you black sisters and brothers reading this might be of Bantu origins.
• Bantu means “People” in many Bantu languages. I say Bantu languages because in Africa it’s common for many groups to speak a language with some variations. The same way someone in the Northern parts of the US might say or pronounce a few words differently from someone in the South.
• A common characteristic of Bantu languages is that they use a stem form such as -ntu or -tu for 'person', and the plural prefix for people in many languages is ba-, together giving ba-ntu "people."
• The word Bantu was first used by Wilhelm Bleek (1827-1875). Bleek was a linguist born in Germany.  His dad was a professor of Theology at Berlin University and Bonn University. Bleek graduated from the University of Bonn in 1851 with a doctorate in linguistic. He studied Hebrew before falling in love with African languages. He moved and lived in South Africa and spent most of his life there researching and investigating the languages. It’s in Cape Town that he met his wife Jemina Llyod.  His wife did with him much of his researches and continued alone after his death. He actually died in South Africa and was buried in Cape Town.  See!!! Now you know about the man who was the first to use the word BANTU!

• Bantu groups had a specific division of tasks between men and women. The men worked as herdsmen, artisans and hunters. Women were in charge of the farming and housework and oftentimes worked as a team by organizing their tasks as a commune. This is actually very common in many ethnic groups throughout the continent!
• Bantu comprises over 400 ethnic groups in Africa.From Cameroon (central Africa), Southern Africa, Central Africa and Eastern Africa. There are many variation to the Bantu language but they still maintained a few common  customs and languages.
• In South Africa the term Bantu was used as a very derogatory word toward the Black South Africans especially during apartheid. 

• There are a whole lot of things to be said about Bantu in the context of Southern Africa. In Southern Africa the Bantu language was divided into two main groups the Nguni which included the Zulu and Xhosa language for example and the Sotho-Tswana. The Nguni were known to occupy the eastern coastal plain whereas the Sotho generally occupied the plateau (wow, so many childhood memories of my geography and history classes are rushing up in my brain as I am typing this).  
• What's interesting on the subject of Nguni and Sotho is that Nguni changes in their pronunciation of Bantu words included the addition of click sounds!
• In other parts of Africa Bantu it's not  seen as a derogatory term.
• Another thing that's cool to know is that based on the regions where they lived people developped important skills.
• It's the Bantu who reached the central rainforest regions while migrating away from the drying sahara who developped new agricultural techniques and plants notably in Zambia, they used advanced technologies during the iron age. They also brought the concept of cattle raising to regions that were unfamiliar with raising cattles.
• One of the most fascninating fact to me growing up was the history of the Great Zimbabwe city. It was the capital of a major empire.  The city was known for its trade routes benefiting arabic traders of the Swahili coast. Even China was reported to trade there as well. The trade included goods such as gold, copper, ivory,animal hides, precious stones, metal etc.. Can you see how rich the continent has always been?
• Nowadays Bantu is more referred to as a language group. There is now little need to refer to it as a specific ethnic group.  Did you know that the Swahili is a Bantu language? It’s not just spoken in Kenya as many people tend to assume. It’s actually considered the main language among  50 + millions people living in countries along Africa’s East Coast!

 This picture I found online is apparently from a Somali who specified that in her language bantu knots are called duuduubs.

• The Bantu in Somalia are originally from ethnic groups in what is today Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique. They were brought to Somalia in the 19^th century as slaves.  In Somalia Bantu are an ethnic minority. They speak Somali as very few have kept the Bantu language. They may have darker skin than the lighter skinned Somali and rounder facial features.
•   The Bantu were brought to Somalia not because of migration but because of slavery in the 19^th. When I think of Somali Bantu I am saddened by many of the unjust treatments they have endured especially during Somali Civil War. I am certain many of you had heard a few years ago of the Somali taking refuge in American cities because they were evicted from their lands and suffered from wars, persecution and famine.
• Well, I said this was an introduction if I keep going we will all feel like we are seated in a lecture on a College campus. There is nothing wrong with that!It's just that I want you to retain most of what you've read so I will stop at that. I might come up with a part 2 because there is just so much that can be said about the Bantu origin and the history of the African continent! 

I hope you enjoyed learning more about the origins of the term Bantu! For my Black readers I hope this article will trigger a sense of pride for your heritage.  For my other readers I hope you will appreciate something totally new. It's great to be better educated. Don't you think?

If it's your first visit on the site please become a Follower and Like the facebook page Goodhealthdiva.  I would love to know what you think so please leave some comments and give us all the pleasure of reading your feedbacks or your perspectives!

What do you think about all that you just read?Have any of you done Bantu knots before?Want me to show off your bantu knots?

Natural skin care:Recipe for an Egg Facial Mask for a natural face lift/ Recette pour un masque de visage pour un facelift naturel

To all English speaking readers: I decided to add a bilingual post today for 2 reasons
1) This post is pretty straight forward so it would not take me much time to translate it to French.
2) Having many friends who are more comfortable with French than English I simply wanted to offer them something they might enjoy as I greatly value them and it's important to me to welcome them on this site.

Attention aux lecteurs francophones:
Mon clavier est un clavier anglophone et je ne sais pas comment rajouter les accents comme l'accent aigu, l'accent grave etc afin de parfaitement les ecrir en francais! Je vous prie d'aussi considerer que cela fait bien d'annees que je n'ai pas redigee de textes en francais aussi j'espere que mon article sera claire et facil a comprendre.


Ingredients

• Egg white from one egg
• Blanc d'oeuf d'un oeuf
• Used coffee (optional)
• Du cafe en pourdre deja utilise (optionel)

The coffee I use is what's generally left after brewing some fresh coffee for an espresso or a cappucino.
Le cafe que j'utilise est generalement ce qu'il reste dans ma caffetiere apres avoir fait du cafe pour un espresso ou du cappucino.

If you read my previous post   http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/04/on-hairnatural-homemade-deep.html  you will know that I did not crack an egg just for that mask. I simply used the egg white I had left from separating some egg yolk for a homemade deep conditioner.
Si vous avez lu mon article precedent  http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/04/on-hairnatural-homemade-deep.html qui est en anglais vous realiserez que je n'ai pas casse un oeuf juste pour ce masque. J'ai simplement recupere le blanc qui me restait apres avoir separe le jaune d'oeuf pour un traitement a cheveux.

Beat the egg white and add a tablespoon of used coffee.
Battre en neige et ajouter une cuilleree de cafe en poudre deja utilise.

Use a brush or your hand and apply the mixture to your face.
Utiliser une brosse ou juste la main pour appliquer le melange sur tous le visage.

Leave for about 15-20 minutes and rinse out! Gently pad dry!
Laisser secher 15-20 minutes avant de rinser! Essuyer votre visage en tapotant gentillement plutot que de le frotter!

2 Personal suggestions:
2 Suggestions:
1)When the mask dries on your face you will look somewhat scary so I suggest you do not do it in front of anyone you are trying to impress. However the result might impress you as your face will be left pretty smooth. You will enjoy the nanural facelift!
1)Pendant que le masque seche votre visage paraitra plutot effrayant aussi je suggere que vous ne fassiez pas ce masque en la compagnie de quelqu'un que vous chercher a seduir et impressionner. Par contre le resultat sera plutot impressionant. Vous serez fiere de votre face lift naturel.

2)I also suggest doing this right before taking a shower just to make it easier to rinse your face out.
2)Je suggere aussi que vous appliquiez ce masque juste avant de prendre une douche afin que ce soit plus facil de vous rinser le visage!

If you have never tried this mask before please try it and let me know how you liked it!
Si vous avez jamais fait ce masque auparavant laissez moi savoir ce que vous en pensez une fois que vous l'aurez essaye!

For more face mask ideas read those following posts in English
Pour d'autre idees de masque jetter un coup d'oeil sur mes articles suivants, ils sont en anglais!
http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/01/2-creative-use-for-ripe-bananas-facial.html
http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/01/face-mask-for-him.html

I also suggest checking for posts under the label Pampering as they tend to be very popular among my readers.
Je vous suggere d'aussi jetter un coup d'oeil sur mes articles dans la categorie Pampering car ils sont tres populairs parmi mes lecteurs!



If it's your first time here I hope that you greatly enjoy yourself here and that you will become a Follower on this blog and my other blog http://www.beautyfullgifts.blogspot.com/ and Like the facebook page Goodhealthdiva and Follow Goodhealthdiva on twitter.
Si c'est votre premiere visite sur ce site j'espere que vous apprecirez ce site et que vous serrez un Suiveur (Follower) de ce site et de mon autre blog http://www.beautyfullgifts.blogspot.com/ et aussi que vous Aimerez la page Goodhealthdiva sur facebook et me suivrez aussi sur Twitter.

Have you tried an egg facial mask before or is it your first time reading about it? If you had tried it before what benefit do you see to doing that mask?
Avez vous essayez auparavant un tel masque avec du blanc d'oeuf ou est ce votre premiere fois de lire cette recette? Si vous avez deja essaye un masque a oeuf auparavant quels bienfaits vous a t'il offert?

N'na

On Physical healing: Just sharing a testimony

Hello everyone, hope you are all in great health and that this week is starting well for you. I am stopping by briefly to share something that got me excited. My husband shared with me a few testimonies when he came from work. I only have time to share just one with you tonight. I promise to share the other ones soon.
A few minutes ago he read to me an e-mail he received at work from one of his coworkers.
Her name is Theresa and she sent the e-mail to all the staffs at her work place.
Here what she says:

Sent Friday April 8, 2011 at 7:28am

" Good Morning all!
Just a reminder that I am taking a vacation day to spend the day with my son. (....)
I also want to say " THANK YOU" to everyone for your prayers. After 4 months in the hospital, much of te time in intensive care, my Dad is now HOME from the hospital!! He is completely healed.
CANCER-HEALED
KIDNEY FAILURE-HEALED
E-COLI PNEUMONIA-HEALED
BLOCKAGE IN INTESTINE-HEALED
STAPH INFECTION-HEALED

HE IS A WALKING, TALKING MIRACLE..........GOS IS GOOD!


-"

I just thought I would share that, it's a health blog after all and prayer does make our lives and health better as you see from this awesome testimony.
I do believe in the power of prayer and I do believe that having Faith in God improves the quality of our lives! Even though some of you might not have a particular faith I wanted to encourage anyone who does need healing in their bodies and a better life for themselves or their loved ones to be encouraged through this testimony!
If you are a believer, have you recently experienced the healing power of prayer?

N'na

Natural hair: Natural homemade deep conditioner for stronger and healthy hair

I made Friday evening a deep conditioning mixture that one of my maid used on my hair when I was in elementary school. Every Sunday afternoon as she would do our hair ( twin sister and me), she would shampoo our hair and make a mixture of egg yolk and olive oil that she would apply for 45 minutes before rinsing and braiding our hair.
I don't know why it never occurred to me to do it until now! Like I said in a recent post, a lot of pleasant childhood memories have resurfaced in my mind and this recipe is one of them. The only difference is that I added coconut oil.


I started with

• one egg yolk
• a tablespoon of EVOO Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• a tablespoon of coconut oil (optional)
• The one ingredient I did not add that I would greatly suggest adding is Honey! I abstained from adding some in this mixture because I did not have any more raw honey and I just did not want to add the commercial brand I had on hand and my treatment was a spare of the moment thing.

Then I just mixed all the ingredients! The texture was just like a commercial conditioner would be since my coconut oil was still in it's solid form!

I shampoo my hair with a commercial shampoo and then applied the mixture. I was not satisfy with the quantity so I made some more this time without the coconut oil! I mixed one egg yolk and one tablespoon of EVOO! This was enough to saturate my hair.
I put on a shower cap and vacated to the rest of my activities ( tackling the laundry and having a devotion time with my children)


You could leave it for 30-45 minutes but since I was not in any rush I just thought the longer the better so I kept mine on for well over an hour!

I rinsed it out by adding some apple cider vinegar to the rinse water...

And I applied some olive oil to moisturize my hair and let it air dry! Voila!

Please do not have egg white in that mixture otherwise you will be spending your time picking up egg from your hair!

The next day I deep conditioned my daughter's hair as well.  I used the same ingredients except that I added some honey.

I did not have to make any extra conditioner for her hair and I followed the same procedure up until the time I rinsed her hair.

After rinsing her hair I did not add olive oil to moisturize her hair! I simply finished her hair treatment by applying some mousse to her hair.

There she is after her shampoo and deep conditioning!

Since I love to recycle things, I used the egg white from my deep conditioning and hers to make a face mask. After beating the egg white I added  a tablespoon of coffee to the egg white just for antioxidant and the scrub feel. This mask can be made with the egg white alone but since I generally use some coffee as a facial or body scrub I added some to the mix I figure it might as well add some to the mix!

Facial mask with leftover egg white and used coffee. More on that in my next post!

Final result, Mother & Daughter enjoying their natural look after a healthy homemade deep conditioner!

In case you wonder why use egg yolk in my homemade deep conditioner:

Hair are made of protein

Eggs are protein

Eggs' protein will straighten the hair follicle

Eggs make the hair smooth and easier to comb and keep the hair from tangling That is if you are combing. In our cases we left our hair curly!

Well just a few benefits I am aware of, there might be more so feel free to share!

Have you used egg yolk before to condition your hair? What was your experience? What natural ingredients do you generally use to deep condition your hair? Do you know any additional benefits to using egg yolk in your hair? Have you ever had the unpleasant experience of having egg white in your hair?How did remove them?

N'na

TEA TIME al fresco

I am so excited! Just received a package from my sweet friend K.A in Boston who just returned from Paris!
In the box were those precious and very special items!

The culinary treat, ha ha ha, are Madeleines au beurre, (butter Madeleines) they are so gooood and it has been years since I indulged in some! The magazines are as you can see Marie Claire Maison, (Marie Claire Home) and Marie Claire Idees (Marie Claire ideas or more Marie Claire arts & crafts). Most people probably know Marie Claire when it come to their fashion edition. I am not much of a fashionista so I stick to my passion for Home decor and Crafts!

Marie Claire Idees was introduced to me by a friend who visited me from Paris (France) about 6-5 years ago. She knew I loved art and crafts so she brought me back a few magazines and Marie Claire Idees were the ones I  mostly fell in love with! Every time I receive a package from Paris, in addition to treats I get some French magazines but it's been a while since I got a Marie Claire Idees. I was so excited I could not even browse it properly going from page to page excited to see what good stuff I would find...So I decided to take 25 minutes away from the children to indulge....

I normally would have had tea at this time of the day but Madeleines are to me a special childhood pleasure so I opted for a comforting drink that took me back to the most peaceful times of my life! French magazines, Madeleines and warm milk with honey and cinnamon...enjoying those with the voice of my favorite song by singer Andrea Bocelli....

My twin sister is the one who first introduced me to his beautiful voice and to this particular song. This song has had such a profound impression on me the first time she played it that each time I am in need of serenity I listen to his music. I found this one recently on the internet and it was like finding a lost loved one.  Listening to it send me into a deep nostalgic yet happy state.

 My tea time today was like therapy to reconnect to the best things of my childhood as my birthplace is suffering so many destructions. For months the city has suffered so many unpleasant things and this week has been the worst, so I needed something more special than a regular cup of tea!  My friend's gift arrived at the perfect time and nature embraced me with open arms as the weather was very conducive to having tea time in the garden!

A lot of childhood memories have come back to my mind since the events of this week in my birthplace. I needed to relieve the stress and after my mom's visit this afternoon and her sharing more details of some of the chaos going on in my hometown my stress level was seriously increasing. I don't like to cary stress in my mind or in my body so I needed something therapeutic and I needed quick!
A special memory I had today was how my siblings and I, (and every friend who would join us), used to take our afternoon snacks on the patio or spread a tablecloth on the lawn.  Unlike those innocents years, today I don't have time to spend hours enjoying myself in such a manner. Today I only had 25 minutes to recreate the best I could a peaceful memory with French reading materials and snacks. I needed that this Friday afternoon.

I needed to count my blessings, take some times to enjoy the afternoon breeze, create a moment of serenity in a busy day and in a week where all the distant news I have received were far from good.
I needed to give thanks and enjoy being so blessed with a wonderful family and wonderful friends who would send me a gift all the way from Paris!

I can not say it enough! Making time for oneself even if it's just 15 minutes a day can pay great dividend in our mental, emotional and physical health! I just wanted to share how I made 25 minutes a gift to myself just so that I can be better to my family! So you might not be able to afford tea time in a fancy restaurant but you can turn a little corner of your deck, balcony or home into a refuge for just 15-30 minutes!  If you spend the day caring for others you have to find ways to care for yourself for just a few minutes! This is actually very important if stress seems to be constant part of your life!

Tea time is a nurturing time for me regardless of if it's very early in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon or right before heading to bed!

Do you have such a nurturing time in your day? If yes what makes that time so nurturing to you?  If you don't do you see through this post a reason to create such moments for yourself? What do you like to drink you tea with? Do you have a favorite cake or cookie you use to accompany your tea?

N'na