Just a spoonful of (brown) sugar makes the medicine go down.....

Well I don't know if  that is true Mary Poppins, but what I do know is that brown sugar is a great natural exfoliant!! Good grief, I spent tons of money looking for an awesome exfoliant, when I had the inexpensive option at home all along. For the past 3 weeks or so, I have been exfoliating with brown sugar, honey and lemon juice mixed together. The results were, a fresh,soft,silky face. Now hear me out, I do have work to do on my face. I came from a very humid Miami Florida, to a wintry Sweden and it took a toll on my face 
(and not to mention the added stress of moving and my grandma in the hospital).

Today, I decided to take step-by-step snapshots of doing a Brown Sugar (babe), Honey & Lemon Juice Facial....without the babe of course haha.

                                           

Step 1: Please, before any facial, cleanse your skin. I don't have an organic cleanser just yet, so I use Cetaphil and it has been working with me for the last 6 months. This bottle lasts!

Step 2: Get your ingredients out and measured. I don't have an organic option since we are in a tight budget at the moment, but I do recommend it. Lemon juice, Brown Sugar in the middle, and Honey. A small plastic/glass bowl, and a teaspoon.

Step 3: Mix in 1 teaspoon (or 2 if you want to use more in other places such as underarms,knees,elbows), 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of honey. Mix until it has a runny consistency but the brown sugar feels grainy, not too thin.

Step 4: Apply to freshly cleansed face and scrub. Now don't go scrubbing and taking out your frustrations at the same time. Put a little pressure on your fingertips and  move them in circular motions, even in your chin and neck. Leave scrub on your face for 5-15, depending how much time you have. PLEASE!!! Avoid your eyes. It will be red due to the exfoliation but it's normal, it will subside.

Step 5: Rinse with warm water, and finish by splashing some cold water to close the pores. Use a CLEAN hand/face towel and pat dry, don't rub the towel too hard on your face, you will strip the moisture from it.

And Voila! You've got a soft, clean face! I would recommend doing this only at night since your face has just been exfoliated and shouldn't be caught in the sun. Do this 2-3 time a week.

Now the benefits of the ingredients: Brown Sugars texture is almost like sand, removes old skin cells without causing skin irritation. Its moisture won't dry out your skin and is a source of Vitamin B due to its content of molasses. Honey has antibacterial properties and is considered antiseptic ( I use it for small pimples, dab a very small amount on it and leave it overnight). It also helps with making your beautiful face lighter!  And Lemon also serves as a dead cell remover,blackhead remover and a skin brightener. What else can you ask for??

Sources: http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g

blogID=1454921159426192212#editor/target=post;postID=6947038020570842186

http://www.livestrong.com/article/260345-what-are-the-benefits-of-lemon-juice-for-the-face/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/156037-what-are-the-benefits-of-brown-sugar-as-a-skin-exfoliator/

Now as you may have noticed above, my hair had some serious TLC deprivation! My poor hair. This weather is a stranger to these tresses, so I will fight back and add moisture, MOISTURE, MOISTURE! People, your hair can never thank you enough for adding moisture to it.

Most of you know that Im trying to grow my hair back to its natural state. Kinky curls and all. But with that comes work and a lot of love to it. The below pictures are how I add moisture to my hair and with what products. My goal is to find natural products but one step at a time. And $1 at a time ;)

Step 1: Get your conditioners and oils out. Use a wide tooth comb to detangle. If you use the thin black one with the pointer, your hair is going to scream its life out and not love you. Unless you have silky straight hair, great, but I don't and I need to pamper it.

Step 2: Mix in any oil. I used Extra Vigin Olive Oil, maybe a tablespoon. You can add Argan, Coconut, Peppermint, Moroccan, Avocado oil. Any oil that is good for the hair. Do some exploring :)

Step 3: Mix all ingredients together until well mixed and oil is incorporated. I forgot to take a picture of this process :(

Step 4: Section hair into 4 or if you have longer hair, maybe 6, and start placing the mixture (ends first), until all  the sections are covered and set for overnight. Place a plastic shower cap on. The heat will keep itself inside.

Step 5: Wear a silk head scarf or bonnet. Silk keeps the moisture in and doesn't rip your hair like cotton does. Adding this scarf or bonnet not only ensures that your mixture won't leak but it adds a bit of extra heat.

The next day just rinse and style. This is my deep conditioner so I will rinse, shampoo, condition it again and do the final rinse.

Next DIY is how to take off.............CALLUSES!!! How embarassing but it has to be said and done. Summer is coming around and Im sure we all want pretty feet!

I hope this has been helpful to any of you and would like to hear from you. I have changed my comment box situation and now anyone can comment AS LONG AS IT IS POSITIVE, if not, please don't even think about it. I love to help people if any way I can, so don't try bringing someones spirits down.

With  love,

Ileana

Just a bit of everything.....

Heyyyy everyone!!!! :) I would like to start off by saying I am so grateful to those of you who are actually reading these posts. I honestly didn't think anyone would read this and would reach out to me in such a postitive way. To my friends and family reading and responding to this, thank you sooo much, words cannot describe how I feel. I love you and miss you much.

These past few days have with ups and downs but mostly trying to adjust to a lot of change and the situations going around the world. Have you ever felt that at times it's better to desensitize yourself from the news and grief than to be there and watch what's happening? I don't know about you, but I prefer not to know. I can take a few dosages but when the news is on 24/7, I can't take it anymore. There's just too much going on and then the fighting starts. It's an endless cycle. I won't get into it anymore but that's who I am.

Another semi-change is Spring! I cannot wait to feel the warm air coming! SWEDEN IS COOOOLD!! Here let me show you: 

Back in January!!! Cold!!!

It was great to be in snow but I'm from Miami and we aren't used to this stuff! My family is amazed I survived haha!! But now the snow is all gone and the temperature is in it's 50's....we're getting there.....slowly. But Sweden is beautiful! I cannot wait to have family over. Oh, talking about that, my father will be visiting for 2 weeks and I will get to see my aunt and uncle for 2 days! So happy. I'm smiling from ear to ear. 

Yup, just like this.

Now for food/ health stuff. I'm trying to take care of my body. It's not easy.....nooooooo. I live with meat eaters ( I don't judge, you do your thang) and always have back home in Miami. I'm just not into it as much. Yeah, a skirt steak, or how us Latinos call them, churrrrrrrassco, can look drool worthy but my stomach just can't take it. I tried again and nope, it doesn't sit well. So little by little I've been eliminating meat from my platter and replacing meat sourced protein with plant protein. 

WHAAAAAAAAAT?!?! YOU CAN ACTUALLY DO THAT?!?!?! Yes, yes you can! No I don't feel like I am lacking anything, I actually feel a lot better. Now, if I'm craving a piece of chicken or fish so bad, then yeah I will have a piece of whatever it is. And if I am going over someones house and they offer a cooked meal with meat, I won't be like "Oh, I can't eat your food because you put meat in it and since you don't have the same belief as me regarding to me, I will not eat your food". I wasn't raised to disrespect someones hospitality. If I did, ha! I'd get the eye.....you know, the "wait until we get home" look hahahaha. 

Now you may be asking what do I use to replace my protein. I still eat eggs, nuts, quinoa, beans, chia seeds, hemp protein powder, rice, and much more. You have to learn to balance and do research, if not, you will find this difficult. 

Super simple and great tasting.

Enough about food for now. I will be showing more when I take more photos. Definitely slacking. Lately, I've been missing everyone soooo much. It's so crazy how life can throw you to different places and circumastances to strengthen you. Sometimes, becoming strong can lead to break downs, fear, doubt, and just wanting to go darn right back to where you lived. Life moves on for everyone, with or without you (cue to song by U2).

I believe that if I were single, I go crawling right back but I'm not. I have responsibilites and I am not a CHICKEN!!! Ha ha. But in all honesty, moving away from everything/everyone you know, is one of the biggest challenges I have yet to come to terms with. I need to walk around focused like a HORSE! 

This picture cracked me up!!!!

I need to stay focused and hopeful that this transition will change the way I am from the inside out. I remember when Kenny and I had a deep conversation with one of our friends....psst Joel. I won't get to specific about our conversation due to privacy, but just being open about our fears to him helped us so much. Friends needs encouragement no matter what course people take. As long as it's a positive change for each person involved, then help them along the way.

My husband, myself and Joel!! Missing Renata <3

Anyway, as you can see, I had a lot of things in my mind and purged it all into this wonderful blog. It's like this: 

Ok enough, love you all.

Blessings,

Ileana 

Let's talk a bit about what is beauty.

I have a secret to confess.....I was ADDICTED to reading People Magazine! Ugh, I know. I don't know why. I got sucked into the life of wondering who wore what, who was dating who, who stole something and who was getting divorced next. It was a toxic addiction and I've slowly given it up. It's a waste of time and I believe made me judgmental. Now, this is MY opinion, please don't call me foolish hahaha. There was a growth group that I did with people from my church that actually mentioned People Magazine and how infectious it is! I couldn't believe my ears! I hadn't realized that slowly, I was becoming a critic of others based on what they had, looked like and did. I lost myself, and my identity. That was until I read my identity in Christ.

I believe that a lot of women don't know how beautiful they are. I have to constantly remind myself that God made me beautiful. The life on the web, t.v and any other media, is not mine and my life is one that I need to treasure and value with everything I have. A decision I made once I read who I was, was to let my hair grow naturally. I have Puerto Rican kinky hair that "needed" to be relaxed, flat ironed, and everything else damaging to it. I never knew the actual texture of my hair. Never Ever! Crazyyyyy! Im 28 years old, and have never seen my root grow more than half and inch before I whipped out the relaxer. Until now.

Beauty is a word to battle with. We battle with what the society tells us is beautiful. Get lipo, get implants, get that guy, wear that clothes, wear your hair long and straight, be less or around 100 lbs, the list goes on and on. Why do we battle with this? Why do we have to change to please others or change because they tell us to? This is an honest blog, so why not push it by assuming that unfortunately, those who call us weak or ugly,  stupid, fat, loser, etc. have not found their own identity? Do you think that calling someone fat is going to help them get healthy, do you think they feel encouraged? Well, unless they're masochist, then to me, it doesn't help.http://skinnyminnyjourney.tumblr.com/

I struggled so much with my identity, that it is still a work in progress. I heard the typical "You're fat" "Fix your hair, you're lazy, you don't know how to do this or that". It took a toll on how I looked at myself. I didn't believe my husband when he said I was beautiful. Not until I believed in my identity with Christ. My walls came down. I do believe that women need to have a natural balance. Appreciate who you are. Don't let the trials of life beat you down. You want to look good for yourself, and if you want to rock a different style than others, GO FOR IT. We shouldn't judge anyone. Let us help one another. Lift up one another, sharpen one another.

I have to give a shout to the women who have impacted me in every way:  

 

me, my sister, mom and aunt

Maureen, myself and Evelyn

 Betsy and I

My girlfriends and I.....There's a lot more but I  couldn't find pictures with them.

 I am a beautiful, loving woman. My new perspective helped me to appreciate running, appreciate my natural curls, love my Puerto Rican curves, helped me to love others, my husband, and life so much more. The picture below is not me, but I love her hair! 

What is one thing you struggle with the most? It can be beauty or anything else besides. I want to hear from you.

God Bless,

Ileana

E.H.S, Job, and then there is me.

Before I begin to dive deep into the title of this blog, I would like to give you a little glimpse to the reasons why my husband and I left sunny Miami, Florida to the cold but yet welcoming Nora, Sweden! First off, my husband was born and raised here, so it made sense. Secondly, we wanted to spend more time with his family, as I had only been with them twice (once when they visited, and two years after for our wedding). Third, and most importantly, we had a strong discernment that something BIG will happen to us here.

Was it fun leaving my family, our friends and our church behind? Heck no, what would make you think it was? Ha ha. It was the toughest decision I had to ever do. Denying my sense of worry, fear and doubt to everyone around me, except to my husband, was similar to wearing a mask. When the mask was off, I would worry and ask God "Where are you taking me, why so far, why this, why that?" But when the mask was perfectly placed back on "Oh, I have no fear, it's going to be a great experience". In the end, I ripped off that mask (eeeeeek lol). No seriously, I gave all my fears and worries to God and surrendered to his trust and knew that His will is what I live for. That made the move so much easier.......temporarily.

When I got to Sweden, I immediately sent a message to a few girlfriends of mine back home and asked them what books can they recommend to me. Sabrina( hey giiiiiiiirl) sent me a title of a book that will forever change who I was and how I emotionally I let situations take the wheel of my life. Here comes part 1 to the title of this post: Emotionally, Healthy and Spirituality. To say that I have never read such a challenging book, is an understatement. It's a crazy roller-coaster. Here let me lay down the outline of this book: "What Are You Missing?

Peter Scazzero learned the hard way: you can’t be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature. Even though he was pastor of a growing church, he did what most people do:

•       Avoid conflict in the name of Christianity
•       Ignore his anger, sadness, and fear 
•       Use God to run from God
•       Live without boundaries

Eventually God awakened him to a biblical integration of emotional health, a relationship with Jesus, and the classic practices of contemplative spirituality. It created nothing short of a spiritual revolution, utterly transforming him and his church.

In this book Scazzero outlines his journey and the signs of emotionally unhealthy spirituality. Then he provides seven biblical, reality-tested ways to break through to the revolutionary life Christ meant for you. “The combination of emotional health and contemplative spirituality,” he says, “unleashes the Holy Spirit inside us so that we might experientially know the power of an authentic life in Christ.”

Sorry I do know it was long, but it was necessary to have the accurate explanation of the book. My experience with it so far has brought me tears, joy, hope, battles with emotions that stemmed and twisted the false acknowledgements about myself even tighter, but a sense of relief and salvation in Christ. He has shown who I am and I am much more than false emotions, I am much more than what human voices have told me. This book has shown me, to truly be alone with God and have a true relationship with him.

Now for the part of Job. E.H.S has some explaining to do (in my best Ricky voice). My life from 2012 til now has reminded me of Job from the bible. Not so drastically though! I do have my friends and family and a roof over my head, but every time I feel a raw emotion, God shows me Job. In a chapter of E.H.S it teaches us that Job, being a great follower of Christ had all the riches he can ever think of, camels, sheep's, children, a spouse....He was, as the book describes it "The Bill Gates in that time". He loved God so much. But with a sudden twist, he lost his house, his children died, his camels and sheep went PEACE OUT, his wife cursed him and his God, and not to mention, he ended up being a poor man with sores in his body.

Here comes the third part to this title: me. But I think I will put Job and I together. Why? I've had a lot to think about that and want to explain why so clearly. Although Job lost everything, E.H.S phrases passages that he never shut his emotions from God. He yelled and wondered why God would put him in that situation. The poor man was so confused, my heart broke for him. I, on the other hand, wouldn't talk to Him until I was so angry and fed up that I would ask him so many questions. 2012 was a time where life got crazy for me (emotionally). I got fired in January  felt rejected by a few people, got married, decided to move, almost lost my grandmother, and throughout this I was in the process of trying to detach and prepare myself for leaving those I love behind by wearing my mask.

Job wasn't left abandoned by God. He was rewarded with twice of what he possessed!! He has taught me to be faithful to God but to never shun my emotions from Him. To get rid of that self-deceiving mask and accept who I am through Him. His own son cried out to Him, why shouldn't I? Every situation has a cause, although I may not know what ours is, I do know that God is in control. Realize with an open heart, that our God is one that saves and loves us more than we love ourselves. I still have a lot of work to do, but with the help of God, I will be able to accomplish all he has set out for me to do with the right attitude. Ha ha, that kind of rhymed. 

So my friends, that is all for tonight. I hope that this has made sense and will help someone out there! 

With love,

 Ileana

Why start blogging??

    I had a nudging feeling to express my life and the events that are occurring now in it. You're probably thinking "Like what Ileana, why now? Aren't you afraid of what people will think or of your family's reaction?" If I can be honest with you, I will be writing about my life in Sweden, my health(running, working out, lacto-vegetarian), God, my marriage (obviously with my husbands approval and to a certain level.....hello PRIVACY), my lessons about being so far away from home, my hair (yes, that is correct. I am transitioning back to natural so bare with me), and whatever may come.

    No, I am not afraid of what people have to say, especially my family. Wait a second before you think I'm waving my finger going "Uh uh, I am not afraid of no one blah blah blah", it's not like that. I believe my family will actually be very excited to read my thoughts. I am normally the introvert between them, so I don't share as much, until now 0_0 ha ha! I believe blogging will help my family and friends understand, or at least, be connected to my life and the way it's blossoming and see what my husband and I are up to in Sweden.

    The only thing that I do expect out of ALL my readers, is it to respect what I write. I won't be writing offensive blogs, so please do not be offensive to me, or to my thoughts. Peoples tendency to rip someones blog or nag them because they don't agree with them, are seen everywhere. I am going to be making mistakes, I am not your guru :)
   
  I want those who come here to feel a relaxing, fun, real and raw emotions....in other words, I don't want someone else feeling as if they are alone. So for today this is what I have to offer, please stay tuned, you never know what life might throw at me next.  ;)