What I'm currently reading.

My Current Read

"Change your words change your life" by Joyce Meyer

 

If you have never listened to this woman speak you are truly missing out. I purchased this book because the title spoke to me. I would often say things without thinking, never truly realizing the affect that words that you can't take back can truly damage someone. This book is definitely a must buy if you are trying to change the way you use your words. Words are very powerful and should be used very carefully, not carelessly.

Hard Water

HARD WATER? 

          Do you have hard water?

                                                  

What is hard water?
     
    Hard water is water that has high mineral content. Hard drinking water is not harmful to one's health, but it can be costly. Hard water can cause damage to your dish washer, washing machine, or boiler. Hard water is often indicated by lack of suds formation when soap is agitated in water. Hard water contains salts, calcium, magnesium, chloride and sulfates that can cause damage to your hair and skin. Hard water can also make your clothes appear dull and discolored giving them a shorter life span. Hard water can also cause your utility bill to go up due to the accumulated scale in the water heater. Scale is a conductor of heat, increasing the energy needed to heat the water. In other words, your water heater is working extra hard because the large amount of minerals and magnesium in the hard water.


5 Signs that you have hard water

1. DRY SKIN: If your skin is dry and itchy no matter how much you moiturize it than you probably have hard water. Have you spent tons of money on expensive soap, lotion, creams and moisturizers and no matter what you purchase or how much you apply it your skin remain dry. Is your skin breaking out for no reason? Your not stressed, you eat right, and you have a good skin care regiment? Hard water may be your problem. Hard water have been known to make acne and eczema worse.
2. DRY AND DULL HAIR: You just washed and deep conditioned your hair. The conditioner is in your hair and your hair feel amazing on your fingers. Now it's time to rinse and your hair now feel hard and unmanagable. To make matters worse your hair look dry, dull and lifeless. You began to moisturize and seal hoping it will help but no such luck. You may be a victim of hard water.
3. YELLOW STAINS IN YOUR SINK, TUB AND TOILET: Your brand new tub has lost its pearly white shine and has been replaced with nasty yellow stains that Mr. Clean or Clorox can not remove. The excessive minerals in the water are causing your water to leave these ugly stains.
4. WHITE FILM ON YOUR GLASSWARE: When you get out of the shower does your bathroom mirror have water stains? Does your glasses, coffee pots or pans have streaks, water stains or a white film after they've been washed? These a sign of hard water.
5. LAUNDRY NOT COMING CLEAN: Does your clothes look dull after you wash them. Do your white clothes come out off white or rusty looking? These are all signs of hard water.

Simple Solutions

So now that we are caught up on what hard water is, as well as the damage that it can cause, lets talk solutions. 

1. WATER SOFTNER: You can purchase a water softener from walmart. Water softener is a substance that softens hard water by removing certain minerals, calcium and magnesium from hard water.
2. WATER FILTER: You can purchase filters for your faucets and shower to help soften the water. Amazon sell some amazing shower filters starting at $69.
3. DISTILLED OR PURIFIED WATER: if you can not afford a filter, I suggest you purchase some distilled or purified water when washing your face or hair. Hard water can make your hair hard and brittle. It can also cause your face to break out. Purchase a few bottles of water to avoid any damage to your hair or skin.

Getting rid of hard water stains!!!
          
      Once I fixed my hard water problem, I was then faced with the ugly yellow stains that it left in the Bathtub, toilet and Bathroom sink. I looked for different solutions and found that baking soda and vinegar was the most popular one. I tried this solution several times, several different ways. I allowed it to soak overnight. I even made a paste and scrubbed until my arms couldn't take it any longer but the stains remained. Finally I was told by my landlord to try a product called WHINK. I was skeptical but decided to give it try, after all I had nothing to lose and I wanted the hideous stains gone! I went to my nearest hardware store and purchased two bottles of Whink for $7.00 each and headed home hoping for the best. The directions were very simple (pour whink on the problem area and rinse with cold water immediately. Repeat if necessary). Whink is a miracle in a bottle. Not only did it work but I only used 1 bottle for my entire bathroom. If you have hard water and have any additional advice on how to fix it, please comment below.

Hidden Talent

  HIDDEN TALENT

          The soulful sounds of

                                Paul kim

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     As I finished watching the latest David So comedy video, Which is another talented young man I will touch on later, I was taken to a link of a video by Paul Kim called "You had your chance". As a music lover I am always searching for new sounds and I love being introduced to music outside of the cookie cutter main stream stuff we see on television daily. I did not know what to expect to hear from this handsome Asian cutie but I was definitely in for a great surprise. As he opened his mouth and let the first lyrics roll off his tongue "Hello there baby" he instantly erased all stereo types that people tend to pin on artist. His voice had so much soul and I couldn't understand why this song wasn't blasting from every radio station. The video itself was a very fun and well put together production that could easily be viewed on MTV or BET. As the video ended it left me wanting to hear more from this young man, so I looked him up on youtube and my love of Paul Kim began. As a watched video after video I was drawn in by the variety of sounds from the soulful sound of "You had your chance" to the upbeat "outta my head. I have quite of few of Paul Kim tunes in rotation on my ipod and each one leaves me with a different lesson to learn. Paul Kim not only make his own original music but  is also well known for covering some of our favorite artist. I think it's time for a Asian superstar to take this world by storm and Paul Kim is well on his way.

     Recently Paul Kim and David So started a tee shirt line called "Go for Broke". There are three shirt designs that are bold and eye catching. To check out their tee shirt line simply click on the picture link below.
                                  
Here are some Paul Kim videos to enjoy. Step outside the box of mainstream music and show some support.

 

Some of my favorite Paul Kim Covers

 

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Wishing you well

                       

       Wishing you well

                My Jar of Positive Energy

                              

    

      It can be very easy to fall victim to negative energy. I mean face it, we live in a society where video taping fights and laughing at others pain have become entertainment for many. We sometimes feel it necessary to defend and explain ourselves to others, which can bring out a very ugly side of us. It's not easy always turning the other cheek and when you're exposed to negative comments and behavior being the norm, you can easily become a part of the crowd. I have had moments where I have laughed at, shared and made insensitive comments that only contributed to someone else pain. I think we all have play a role in a situation where we could have done better. Although it's not always easy to stay positive, once you began that positive journey you will have a totally different outlook on life altogether. Things that use to make you very angry will now seem small and unimportant to you. Vulgar language and violent behavior will no longer be entertaining for you. You will began to feel more peaceful and less angry as time go on. I'm not saying that this journey for peace will be easy, in fact it will be extremely difficult especially during moments when you feel hurt, betrayed or angry. These will be the most trying and difficult times and you will feel like abandoning this positive attitude and replacing it with a negative reaction that will only give you temporary gratification. One thing that helped me was a prayer/well wishes jar. I would place my prayers, positive thoughts, personal pains and well wishes into this jar. Once the jar is full I would read all the slips and see just how positive I was or just how negative I was. If I had more negative moments than positive I would set a goal to do better. No, you will not change over night but taking a step in the right direction is a start. For the next 30 days try this method. At the end of the 30 days review your thoughts and see if your positive out weigh your negative. If you had more negative thoughts, do another 30 days and try to do better. Let me know your thoughts by commenting below :)

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             Vision board

                 My New Year Resolution

                             

     The New Year is approaching soon and along with the new year comes New Year Resolutions. This is when we swear we will eat better, stop smoking, get a better job, travel, and have a better life. Often we start off very motivated, then two weeks later we fall back into old habits. We really do mean well when we make our resolutions but as the saying go "Out of sight, out of mind". Instead of allowing it to slip out of our sights, this year we are going to put it in our face where we can see it daily staring at us and daring us to fall off course. We will create a visual photo collage of all our goals that will force us to look at the things we swore to do and motivate us to accomplish them. This is called "A Vision Board". A vision board is a collage of photos of things you would like to change or a accomplish in your life. You may have pictures of the car you always wanted, the house you want to buy, the body you aim to have, or the financial goals you would like to meet. You can use a large picture frame, peg board, poster board or scrap book to create you collage of goals. After you have built your guide to success place it in a spot that you will have to look at it daily, allowing it to remind you to do something each day to accomplish those goals. By putting your goals in your face daily, your chances of completing them are far greater than if you write them on a piece of paper that will be placed in your nightstand and forgotten about. When I made my Vision Board last year I accomplished 75% of the things on my list. I upgraded my camera, purchased new lighting, met my natural hair goal, have a healthy diet and exercised more just to name a few things. Whenever I felt unmotivated , I looked at this board and felt determined that I would accomplished as many things on this list as I could. Now I have a whole new list of accomplishments I need to complete and it's time for a new board. Here is a list of items you will need to create your board.

• Peg board, poster board or scrapbook
• lots of old magazines
• scissors
• tape, glue or thumb tacks
• A list of goals

     Write down your list of personal goals. These goals should include all things you would like to complete by the end of the year, whether it be big (I want to stop smoking) or small (I would like to spend more time with family). Search through your magazines looking for photos that represent the goals you want to complete. Cut the photos out and began to place them securely onto your board using you tape, glue or thumb tacks. Hang your vision board in a place where you will see it daily more than once. Each day do something to work towards completing your goal no matter how small it may be. New Years resolutions are great and by making them in a more visual form, we will be well on our way to becoming better each day.  Last year my friends and I had a vision Board gathering. With great food and drinks, we sat around sharing our goals and helping each other create beautiful boards. This is definitely a great activity for a ladies night. Take a photos of your board and email it to Audreyhughesfotos@gmail.com and I will post it up or all to see.

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Remember When

Remember when……

          Everybody had to put their foot in

                         
                                   

     Now a days our childrens' minds have been taken over by ps4, xbox, ipads, laptops, Disney channel, Nicklodeon and Cartoon Network. With an unlimited amount of wi fi and non stop cable, physical activity have become non existent. Remember when we as children hated staying in the house? We felt suffocated longing for the sun to hit our face and our sneakers to hit the pavement. Whether we went roller skating, went bike riding, played jacks, its, or hopskotch, we played until the sun went down and the street lights came on. The painful sound of our parents calling us in the house brought tears to our eyes and made our hearts long for the next day to come. Saturdays were the best. Who doesn't remember Saturday morning cartoons followed by our favorite karate flicks? After the karate flick, our next step was always to knock on our friends doors and then the real fun began. Oh my how times have changed. Our children don't know anything about how Miss Mary Mack was dressed in black, What little Sally Walker did when she stopped in front of me or how Miss Lucy had a baby named Tiny Tim. They are clueless about how their moms shoe could be turn into a great game of hot butter bean. Their creativity won't allow them to see how one ball can be three different games like foursquares, dodgeball or kick ball. Their imagination won't allow them to play alone with Jacks, bat and ball, jump rope or hula hoop and have a total blast. I honestly blame us as parents for not passing these wonderful memories down to our children. There is nothing wrong with video games or television but when it take over things that not only help our children stay fit but also help them use their creative side, then we have a problem. Parents I challenge you to take 1 hour out of your day and bring back your childhood memories with your kids. I would love for you to take pictures so that I can post them on my Back in the day wall. Send all photos to Audreyhughesfotos@gmail.com and lets make a movement to keep these memories going so that our children can pass these same memories down to their children!

Here are a list of games that I remember. If you have more to add please comment below.

• Its
• Hide and Go Seek
• Hot Butter Bean
• Red Light Green Light
• Hop Scotch
• Dodge ball
• Double Dutch
• Four Squares
• Hot Potato
• Pick up sticks
• Seven Up
• Jacks
• Simon Says
• Mother may I
• Miss Mary Mack
• Miss Lucy had a baby
• Little Sally Walker
• hula hoop
• Bat and Ball
• Cheers (The clean version of course :))
• Slide baby one

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Did I cheat?? My Detox Results

Did I Cheat?

      My Fruit and Vegetable Detox Update

     

                               

        On December 1, 2013 I decided to kick start my December fitness challenge off right by doing a Fruits and Vegetables Detox. My body truly needed this break. I was feeling tired, bloated, and fatigued. This left me unmotivated and unproductive. This was not an easy journey and I didn't want my subscribers to think I went through this journey smoothly. I decided to do an update and answer the question I'm sure many of you wanted to know, DID I CHEAT? The answer is YES, however I never allowed that to completely stop my journey. I simply noted my mistake and continued my journey. My body was telling me it needed this break and I was determined to listen to it. But child, let me tell ya, the first two days were torture. I'm gonna take you through my journey and tell you the good, the bad and the UGLY....lol!

     Day 1 my morning started off great. I had been grocery shopping the day before, so I was fully prepared for this journey. Full of motivation and determination, I started my journey with a green smoothie. I used a 32 ounce mason jar to pour and drink my smoothie. This allowed me to drink a little at a time and store the remainder in a air tight jar for later. Although I loved the taste, I was not fond of the texture. I chose not to juice my fruits and vegetables because I wanted to feel full and I did not think the juice alone would stop my hunger pains. For lunch I chose to have a large fruit salad that was absolutely Delicious. So far so Good. Okay here comes the ugly part. My motivation was on a all time high. I had been snacking on fruits and vegetables all day and had become confident that I would sail through this journey without a hitch, WRONG! As I sat in my room reading a book, my nose was filled with the wonderful smell of fry chicken and it was coming from MY kitchen. Oh my how I tried to ignore this amazing smell but I was slowly being defeated by it. This was my first cheat :(. I had cheated on my detox the very first day with two delicious fried chicken wings and the guilt overwhelmed me. Was I really this undisciplined? I couldn't be. I made myself a spinach salad with strawberries, cucumbers, and walnuts and began to reevaluate my strategy. As I moved forward with my goal I needed to make a few small changes to insure the remainder of my journey would be successful. One of those changes was to drink more than my 8 glasses of water a day. This one change helpe me fill full most of the day. The next change was to eat Oatmeal with honey and fresh fruit in the morning. Although Oatmeal is not a fruit or vegetable, it is a healthy breakfast that will keep me full for a good part of the day. My last change was to find great veggie recipes. I found recipes that require little to no OVOO and that needed to be steamed or sauteed. By making my meals delicious, I was no longer bothered by the food my family cooked. 

     Days 2-3 I remained focused on my goals despite the hunger pains. Although I did feel full, I did not feel satisified. No matter how much I ate or how focused I tried to be, food was all I could think about. I thought about cheating a few times but I quickly dismissed those thoughts when I started to feel and see the rewards of my detox. In three days the bloating was gone. I began to feel more energized and my motivation to exercise had returned. This gave me the boost I needed to continue for the next two days. I was now anxious to see my final results. 

     Day 4-5 was the easiest. Since I was coming to the end of my journey, I no longer felt the hunger pains or temptation to eat those foods I once craved. The few blemishes on my skin had cleared up completely and my skin had a beautiful even tone. I no longer had a muffin top and I was able to fit jeans one size smaller than my normal size. I guess that was the benefit of losing the bloat in my belly. I felt great but most of all I felt accomplished. I was able to give up all the foods I love (bread, sugar, meat, dairy, pasta and rice) for 5 days. Yes, I made a few mistakes but I got back on track and moved forward. I benefited so much from this detox that I decided that I will do it one day a week from this point on. Do you want to try this detox? Check out the links below for recipes on detox smoothies, juices and vegan meals. Also check out some tips on how to get started by clicking this link Fruits and Vegetable Detox. Comment and let me know your thoughts. Remember you are human so you may make mistakes. Simply note your mistakes and move forward. 

Detox Smoothies

Detox Juice Recipes

Vegan Recipes

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