Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Long Hair and other Dangerous Things

I'm glad you were so amused by my microbead horror experience. I'm here today to share the dangers of having very long hair.

When a strand of hair falls out of a long haired person's head, it has a bit of a journey to make.

With short hair, the hair breaks free at the scalp and jumps to safety onto the next nearest surface, carefree and relaxed without a trace.

When long hair falls out, though, it breaks free at the scalp and can hang out there, undetected for a while. Supported by all its neighbors, a long hair simply slides down down, looking for a while like one extra long strand, when in reality it's trying to shimmy down away from its friends.

So- back to the shower.
Water can help that shimmying.

In the shower, the hair descends down down, right between the cheeks of the poor long haired person who gave it life.

As a payback, or maybe because the little dying hair is resentful, it rests somewhere there, between the cheeks. As those cheeks move, while walking or exercising or something, that strand of hair gets rolled up into a little tiny ball that's a lot like an SOS pad.

You didn't know that, did you?

So let me reiterate the RINSE WELL message.

It's THAT important.

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Monday, October 6, 2008

Microbead Dangers, Disappearing navels and More

Reposted from the regular Mrs Hannigan Blog

#1 Mederma is really awesome at removing stretch marks, my navel looks almost like new and, in spite of my fear that it would disappear, I still have a navel. In case you wondered. I've been using it for like a month now and the explosion scars are almost gone.

#2 NEVER EVER EVER EVER use a body wash with microbeads. There are places microbeads do not belong. If you're using this stuff on your whole body, then you might end up with a microbead trapped in between places that likely don't need exfoliating. Microbeads suck as exfoliators anyways. Baking soda, however is an awesome exfoliator that kicks the BUTT of commercial "microdermabrasion" products. Anyways- if you choose to use a body wash with microbeads, take the time to RINSE your nether regions very very thoroughly, or halfway through the day you might get concerned about a certain unfamiliar pain and have to discover that the microbead has scratched a hole in your crotch. Don't say I didn't warn you.

#3 It's true about pimples going away faster if you don't mess with them. I never believed it, but last week I had a pimple. It looked like a boil, really, on my jawbone. I was kind of busy, so I put a band-aid over it and forgot about it. It disappeared. OK, it almost disappeared, and then I started messing with it and now it's a little messed up but still- it's leaving way faster than the ones I "helped"

#4 Change your pillowcase frequently because when you sleep, all kinds of things from your dirty face, slobber, your hair, and the air, your dog if you have one, cat, dirty kids, etc all gets stuck between the fibers of your pillowcase and when you sleep, they get ground into your pores. That is the #1 thing you can do to help your skin. And if you know me, you know I'm not a frequent pimple-getter, so trust me on this one.

That's all for today. Please don't forget #2. You really don't want that to happen.

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Friday, August 8, 2008

Beauty like Amanda Peet

Beauty like Amanda Peet can be yours. All you need to do is have a baby, because motherhood is so beautiful. This might be the only non-sarcastic thing I will write here. Motherhood is beautiful, OK.

Then- you need to go to a party where Dr Paul Oft of the American Academy of Pediatrics talks your ear off about how harmless and wonderful vaccinations are and that Jenny McCarthy is wrong to speak out against them.

Have a few drinks, so you can digest the bullshit he's shoving down your throat. If it starts to creep you out, try to forget that he's paid millions of dollars each year by drug companies who produce these vaccines. Really, he's unbiased. Just look deeply into his eyes.

Think of your career. No one really knows who you are. How pretty is that?

Then- when the drug-company funded "Every child by two" campaign asks you to be a spokes person, say yes.

Then, you can get a makeover from backstage television people and go on TV promoting an agenda that harms children, but at least you'll be pretty.

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Note to Amanda- You advised us to not listen to you because you are a celebrity spokesperson (even though I had never heard of you until today) You advised us to listen to Doctors. So, rather than listen to Doctors who were in bed with drug company research programs, I decided to listen to unbiased doctors, like Richard Moskowitz M.D who calls vaccinations A Sacrament of Modern Medicine Richard Moxon, the Professor of Pediatrics at Oxford University, who advocates for unbiased research and Dr Bernard Rimland, director of the Autism Research Institute in California and Robert C. Reisinger, D.V.M., M.S. and Colette Leick-Welter, Ph.D. (N. H.) whose research found a link between vaccines and SIDS. There's also Dr Andrew J Wakefield MB MS FRCS whose research on the intestinal disorders of children with autism found a connection between the MMR vaccine and a specific immune reaction of these children. Or how about Dr Gary Goldman, CDC researcher whose inside information on the statistics that get skewed before they're released, prompted him to write the book The Chickenpox Vaccine: A New Epidemic of Disease and Corruption.

Doctors are, in fact, in agreement with parents. Not all doctors because in mediCULT school they aren't taught to question the authorities who write their books (drug companies) or pay for the government research programs (drug companies) In fact, these drug companies spend millions of dollars each year wining and dining doctors, to push the belief that vaccines are safe. And of course, Imagine how many less people would vaccinate if doctors encouraged parents to follow their instincts, or to only pay attention to unbiased research. Attorney, Michael Hugo agrees, stating that the "expert witnesses" who often testify that vaccines aren't to blame for various afflictions are actually employees of the drug companies. Therefore, it's in their interest to WIN the lawsuit, not to find the honest truth about the well-being of a child. That's a parent's job.


You might wonder- how come the lawmakers let them get away with this? Well, Rep. Robin Hayes, R-N.C., one of the wealthiest members of Congress, owned more than $11 million in drug stocks on Dec. 31, 1999 so don't expect Rep Robin Hayes to do bidding for children's well-being if it has a negative affect upon the drug companies. Also, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin owned shares worth $2.2 million to $7.1 million in five drug makers. He is the ranking Republican on a Judiciary subcommittee that often reviews patent legislation that can deliver windfalls to name-brand drug companies (Hmmm- sound like "One-less" to you?) And there's also Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., sits on the Senate Commerce Committee that likely will have a role in shaping any Medicare drug package, his wife Teresa, a Heinz family heiress, owned shares in eight drug companies worth $2.1 million to $4.2 million.And finally, the Grandaddy of evil, George W. Bush and his family have $62,000 to $234,000 in drug stocks, Dick Cheney $150,000 to $350,000, and the wife of Sen. Joe Lieberman, $15,000 to $50,000.

So before you are moved to tears by some heartwrenching television commercial funded by the government, know without a doubt that the drug companies OWN OUR GOVERNMENT. It is a conflict of interest to be sure, one spelled out quite clearly in an investigative report which calls it an incestuous relationship, (gasp- such foul talk)

"But this isn't the government, this is the American Academy of Pediatrics." Surprise- the American Academy of pediatrics is funded by DRUG COMPANIES and FORMULA MANUFACTURERS and how about "That study wasn't even published in the New England Journal of Medicine." Be careful. The NEJM is funded 83% by drug companies. What publisher in their right mind would want to lose so much of their ad sales? I think "Follow the Money offers a straightforward assessment.

Let me be very clear about this. This is the same government that has allowed the "no child left behind" act to further dumb-down our educational standards. The same government who advocates "The food pyramid" as real nutrition. Don't even get me started on WIC. Wouldn't it make sense that people who make money when you're sick probably ARE NOT the ones you should trust to keep you well?

I don't really care if people want to send their kids to school to be lemmings. I don't care if parents use government and drug-company propaganda to do their "research" and decide that vaccines are safe. But let's call a lemon a lemon and don't make me eat it. I hate lemons. Amanda Peet- you are a lemon.







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Wednesday, July 23, 2008

French Braid Pictorial













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This is just one of Mrs Hannigan's blogs.

Make Beaded Hair Pins

Beaded bobby pins are such a cute idea, you can use a loop of beads, like the one pictured here, or you can just glue one pretty bead at the end of the bobby pin.









In these pictures, seed beads were threaded on a straight wire and looped through the end of a bobby pin.




after this point, the wire is pulled through and twisted to close.

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This is just one of Mrs Hannigan's blogs.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Free Virtual Makeovers

Love those virtual makeovers. This one was really easy to use. It's from Mary Kay. Just take a picture of your face and upload it to the tool. You get to play with all sorts of new customized looks. Try it, it's fun. My teenage daughters had a blast with it.


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This is just one of Mrs Hannigan's blogs.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

I dry my hands on my shirt

How pathetic is that? I do it all day long. I never trust that a kitchen towel is clean, so I use my shirt and I have been known to change it a few times during the day.

I think about the apron lady all the time. What a neat hobby. I'm going to keep my eyes open for vintage aprons. Maybe I'll make one. Whenever I get my sewing machine fixed. And learn how to sew.

I think the Dishwashing Diva would probably be the most appropriate apron for me, since I do more dishes than anything. For looks, I like the Cutie Patootie best but I think my bootie might make it end up being a bit... well.. not nearly as cute as the picture. Lucy is the Sky with Diamonds is probably the most practical and cute. I love the patchwork and the quilted/hippy look. I never thought something could be equally Grandma and John Lennon at the same time. My second choice would be Polka Dot Momma. In fact, if I bought that one, I might end up wearing dresses and heels every day, too.

What do you think? We almost entered an apron-making contest in the fair last year. My daughter and my mom made an apron for it at the last minute and ended up not using it. It was cute. Short, if I remember correctly. I found an apron fetish site looking for pictures, that was interesting.

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This is just one of Mrs Hannigan's blogs.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Medieval Braiding Resource- WooHoo

I found another fantastic website with articles on historical hair styles. I particularly liked the diagrams for four-strand braids and other complicated braiding techniques. Medieval clothing pages has several articles that interested me, because we're studying the medieval time period in history next year, so I'm supposed to be gathering resources for our studies, recreationism is such fun and also because Upbraid your friends taught me a lot about braiding techniques.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Upside Down Braid Pictorial





The Upside-Down Braid is such a pretty way to do an updo. G1's hair here is only shoulderlength, so it's an easy one to do on shorter hair. The underneath stays in nicely. I think the hardest part is funding a comfortable way to sit. She probably would have preferred to have a pillow under her knees or something, I think it actually might have damaged her to sit still for so long, it's so against her nature. The bun at the top was a last minute-thing, another online braider did a similar do on longer hair that she called a cobra ad it really looked snakey the way the braid was coiled up onj top of her head. I think this is the prettiest her hair has ever looked, it was so angelic. I should have gotten her profile but see that black nailpolish, yeah- she scratched her cheek before the polish was dry and had a big black line on her cheek for 3 days so I wasn't really in the mood to take pictures of her face. The do is very flattering,t hough. I think it would make a nice bridal hair style. Can't you just picture little flowers or beads intertwined in this braid?

Traditional Milkmaid Braid Pictorial



Traditional milkmaid braid comes from two braids, one on each side, like Laura Ingalls. Those two braids are then wrapped around the head like a headband and secured, usually by tucking them into place. It makes sense that milking cows while your braids dangle in front of you might not be a good idea, unless you're going for a milkfat conditioner.

In another pictorial I will show a variation of the milkmaid braid, since it takes very long hair to wear a traditional milkmaid. The variation is similar to a halo braid and can be worked on medium length hair.

On a side note- why do teenagers turn the camera sideways to take the pictures? We'll work on that, sorry.

Braided Bun Pictorial










The thing with a braided bun is to make two or three braids to form the bun with, otherwise there isn't enough texture and you end up with big chunks of hair at the base and teeny ones at the ends. So you start with a ponytail. This one is high upon her head, at the crown, but you can also do one at the nape of the neck. Or even use pigtails and put two on each side. Quick- name the Vintage Sci-Fi character with that hairdo? Yeah- on a side note, I have never seen Star Wars. I have never had any desire to. Or parts two, three and whatever else. I get lost in the whole written scrolling opening credit thing.

Anyhow- so you start with a ponytail and then you split it into a few different sections and make a few rope-like braids. When each one is braided, you twist them together into a bun. The smaller your braids, the more texture you'll end up with. Her hair is pretty fine, so I just used two smaller braids.

Herringbone Braid Pictorial









A herringbone braid is a two-strand braid and it is so easy. The first time I saw one I couldn't imagine how it was done. I played with my daughter's hair forever until I figured it out, it is so very simple. In the picture, it's a french-style herringbone braid. Begin with two sections and add hair from the opposite side into each section, alternating from one side to the other. Once you get to the end of the french-braiding part, when it's time to braid the "tail" just remove small sections from the backs of each side and send them across the front to the other side. Putting it into words makes it sound far more complicated. No worries; I'll be producing a children's hair styling video series soon that will make this far easier!

Friday, July 4, 2008

Dutch Braid Pictorial



Love how the braid magically appears in only three pictures, huh. I plan to reshoot this and add more pictures, I actually snapped these myself while I was braiding and it was just too confusing to braid backwards and take pictures at the same time. The funny thing is- none of these braids will ever stay because every time I buy rubber bands for their hair they end up being used as slingshots, to seal up a roll of paper, or for Barbie dolls, or they use them to make doll clothes by looping one around a washcloth for a cape. Anyway- so all these braid pictures are of braids no one ever sees is real life.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Criss Cross French Braid Pictorial


















A Criss-Cross french braid is an adorable little braid for a flower girl or even just to wear every day. OK, maybe not every day. Have fun trying this one.

It begins with a 4 part section, one goes over the head from ear to ear and the other goes from front to back straight down the middle. You might notice that my middle part sucked and that's OK.

Begin by french braiding (or dutch braiding) one of the front sections. Have the girl lay her head on one shoulder so you don't have to be a contortionist to braid comfortably.

Make each of the two front french braids go toward the point on top where the parts intersect. It will probably take practice. No big deal, just practice. I happen to have 6 daughters, so practice is really not hard to come by.

Once the two front pieces are braided to the ends, release one of the back sections, Braid its opposite side into it. In the pictures, I did a french braid, but I think I prefer using a dutch braid for this part, it gives the illusion that the braid is lying on top of the hair and it's realy prettier, I think, in this situation.


Once one is done- do the other.

That was easy, right?

For bridal hair or special occasions, you can add ribbons or flowers into the braid, it's really versatile.

Enjoy!