Look at her HAIR!!!

Every season of every year fashionistas around the globe jump to find the latest trends in fashion, cosmetics, accessories and more importantly hair style. In 2013 one of the biggest hair trends was the "Ombre" aka, grown out color, as I like to say. By definition the french term "Ombre" means gradient color applied locally on the end strands of the hair leaving a darker root. This was HUGE and still is if you ask me... Every woman on the cover of a magazine had the popular hair color, but as we know the word "trend" suggests that it is not considered a long term or lasting phenomenon but rather a short lived phase. 

We all love a sleek & sassy hair style that pulls our entire look together but some hair treands lasts longer than others. Pictured are some of the hottest, most glamorous, simple yet CLASSIC styles and not to mention some of my personal favorites. Read more below!

1.  Former supermodel Tyra Banks wears a classic middle part with soft sultry waves.

2. curls,Curls, and more CURLS... Singer/songwriter Leona Lewis shows off her "girl next door" natural curl pattern....if  you have these kind of curls FLAUNT THEM!!!

3. Actress Tika Sumpter wears another classic middle part with sleek straight hair. This look will never go out of style. 

4.The famous Bob.. a fresh, new look for Queen Latifah (who by the way.. never has a bad hair day!!!) In my opinion this style can either go very right or very wrong but her stylist nailed this look! 

5.The chic Kim K slick back ponytail. One of my go to styles. This look can easily justify even the most casual look all the up to a red carpet high fashion.

6. Bun life, another go to style. Similar to the last style the messy bun can be a run to convenient store look or an elegant look it really just depends on your fit...not every hair has to be in place, it's super simple and fun!

Hope you enjoyed! XOXO

-Ambrea

Patience During The Process

I was waiting for a while, waiting on that miracle, that instant moment when all that I’ve asked for would just appear right before me and cancel the process it takes to obtain the lifestyle that I desired. We’ve all been guilty of trying to rush the promise before the process, giving God a deadline, expecting Him to meet us at our demand oppose to allowing Him to set forth instructions and we meet His demand. Recall the last time you prayed for something, did you wait on God for a response or did you solve the problem before you even allowed Him to work on it for you? What we do is, we pray about something, ask Him for it and then begin to seek solutions without even ensuring the instructions were God made and not self-made. See, there is a process to your promise, in order to reap the desires of your heart you must first endure what it takes. One of the key elements to your promise while of course displaying hard work (Faith without works is dead, James 2:17) is having the ability to be patient during the process. 

Patience is an indescribable characteristic that is expected from everyone, but understood only by few. It is an action that requires a level of understanding that identifies your capabilities in reaching and maximizing the promise behind patience. Our promises are, in  most cases, rarely immediately supplied because God can see further than we can. He knows what promises we are ready for and the ones we would misuse if given prematurely, He knows the outcome of every situations even when we think we know best. Let me give you an example; I just recently gave birth to my 3rd son, and for the most part we all  understand the birthing process to some extent, whether you’ve given birth or not. During my first trimester I knew that at the end of my 9 months I would birth a baby, now yes we know during the pregnancy process a baby will be born, but we have no idea of the exact date. Doctors provide expected due dates, but that’s only so you can properly prepare for what’s to come. I went through my first, second and third trimester anticipating my baby boy, but when the due date that the doctors had given had come and gone I began to become anxious and impatient (Be anxious for nothing, Philippians 4:6). Becoming  annoyed that it was close to 41 weeks and my child showed no signs of labor and delivery, I tried every method to rush the process. July 2, 2014 I was scheduled to be induced, since God wasn’t moving at my (the doctors) demand we decided to expedite the process. They began to release a medication into my I.V.; this would help me go into labor. By the 2nd hour my contractions were strong and the baby was coming, or so I thought. Every time I had a contraction my baby’s heart rate would drop, it took 1 last contraction and the whole world stopped. Doctors and nurses took complete control, communicating, prepping, and preparing me for what I wasn’t mentally ready for, an emergency cesarean. I was confused, I was afraid; I had my last 2 boys naturally so this was a process I wasn’t prepared for. I went straight into prayer, I didn’t understand what went wrong and then God released this word into my spirit. If I had of gone into natural labor, I would have set at home until my contractions were only a few minutes apart and I would not have made it to the hospital in enough time and my baby boy may not have made it. I was so impatient during the process that I was willing and ready to go through extreme measures to birth my baby boy, but God knew best. He made me wait, He took me through experiences I wasn’t prepared for, He made me trust in Him! I waited 41weeks and 2 days for the arrival of my son because if things were done my way at 40 weeks, my baby would not be here. See, there is a promise waiting for you at the end of your process, but you must endure patience to reap a great harvest. 

Being patient is not easy it has an unidentified time limit that can become more and more difficult to meet when you are incapable of being patient. Our expectations can be so overwhelming that it completely eliminates our ability to be patient which causes us to miss the promises from God. You’ve been praying and asking God for certain desires, seek instructions and be patient. We may never understand the length of the process; just know that He’s preparing you for the promise Deuteronomy 28 (desires).

“9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” 

Galatians 6:9 KJV

Don’t give up; God hasn’t forgotten about you, He’s preparing you. Each day continue to  strive toward your promises and be patient during the process. In all you do seek ye first 

the kingdom of God and always Chase Great!

“3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” James 1:3-4 NLT

Be Blessed xoxo,

LaToya Early

Who am I? Who are you?

By: Ambrea Curry

Who are you? Do people ever ask "why are you always in the mirror staring at yourself" and they say "oh it's just because your vain"..... But what they don't know is that you're not looking in the mirror because you're admiring your own beauty, in fact, you are asking yourself "who am I?" 

In life we have "growth periods" as I like to say, and as result we experience growing pains. In the "growth period" we're either growing into some things, growing out of others or both. During those times we are seeking for something whether we know it or not. Some might be rethinking friendships, maybe you're not where you want to be career wise or perhaps you've been loving everyone BUT yourself. Back in the day people called it an "identity crisis". It's also a time of searching, you may even be lost, but you are positioning yourself and thinking futuristically about who you'll become. As apart of Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs, Self Actualization is defined by the realization or fulfillment of one's potentialities through creativity, independence and talents. In my opinion, this process is crucial because not only is they're so many of us walking around not knowing who we are, but more importantly we know know who God made us to be. Yes! He has placed each and every individual, including YOU, on this earth for a specific purpose. Realizing that your agenda and Gods agenda for you life could be two totally different things is the first step to walking out your purpose. The great part about that is, as your relationship grows with God his will and your will for you life will eventually line up.

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand"

 Proverbs 19:21 

If you're at this point in your life don't worry, don't stress, it's all apart of the process...and remember it's OK that you may be a little lost right now...just don't stay lost. Do your searching, planning, seek God for direction and figure out what your good at and what works for you. Examine your crowd......talk to people who dream, hang around people who inspire you to do and be more, people who expect more out of life. Never compare yourselves to other, that's the quickest way to feel inadequate but instead tell yourself "What God has for me, it is for me." Funny thing is you are already who you want to be! YOU just don't see it yet.

Hustle Hard

By: Ayana Bryant-Weekes

People say a lot of negative things about my generation; how unfocused we are, how impatient, stubborn, and untrusting we are. They use adjectives like selfish and paranoid to describe us as well as our desire to do things on our own. But I have to applaud my generation, The Millennials. If there is anything we are passionate about or hungry for; it is ourselves and our money. Now some of those negative things may be true according to someone who doesn’t understand us and how we think but I’d like to turn those negative adjectives around and describe this group of young people as a multifaceted, cognizant, unyielding, inner-directed collection of professional multitaskers.

You can call my description far-reaching and overly optimistic, however, I’ve seen those positives put into action. I’ve seen my generation venture into music, dance, film, photography, cosmetics, fashion, ministry, finance, and journalism (etc.), and here’s the kicker… we’re working for ourselves. Maybe it’s the lack of formal training, or the meticulousness of how we want things done, or the fact that we hate being told what to do but us twenty-somethings have ideas and those ideas, we feel, are better executed by the person we trust the most.

An article in Relevant Magazine asks this question: Can Millenials save Entrepreneurism? The article mentions a Kauffman Foundation study that found just over half of all millennials plan on starting their own business within the next five years. The article goes on to say that we are the most educated generation in history. That, along with our unmatched access to digital resources, as well as our distinctive professional values makes entrepreneurship a worthwhile career option.

We value the sense that personal goals (and passions) are met while still owning our own businesses. Career benefits that were important to generations before us such as job security or even salary are simple pieces to a puzzle that we instinctively put together with supplementary income (at jobs that we may or may not hate). For example, while I intern for BLAC Detroit Magazine and serve as blog manager for The A Team Talk Show, both unpaid engagements, I work as a bank teller. Other millennials like myself know that it may take working a few jobs to have that security until your real passion makes you money - as many hustles as it takes.

            Entrepreneurship is a heavy cross to bear but this generation has been blessed with unique desires and capabilities that allow us to completely shatter the business molds of prior generations.  2 Thesslaonians 3:10 says, “Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: "Those unwilling to work will not get to eat,” and this generation is hungry, hungry for success they will enjoy. 

           

ALL TALK

By: Ayana Bryant-Weekes

I would consider myself a pretty vocal person, meticulous in my word choice to avoid being misunderstood or misinterpreted. The way I am about verbally getting my message across organically, hinges upon carefully choosing what to say –Proverbs 18:21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. [NIV]

As a writer, words are my medium of choice and over time, my word has been a faithful collateral in the exchange of trust and respect. I conditioned myself to use weighted words that carried more value and deliberate meaning in them to emphasize sincerity with which came a certain confidence- I guess that’s good in some aspects. Time has also taught me that the validity of someone’s words depreciates when there are no actions to solidify them. I’ll be honest, for a long time…up until a few days before writing this post, my words were empty, grossly depreciated in value.  At least that’s how it felt when I prayed, begging and pleading with God to change certain things in my life, thinking I could talk Him into blessing me a certain way, saying all the right things to get what I wanted. I remember being angry and having the bald-headed nerve to be irritated with God when those things didn’t happen.

Yesterday was the 4th of July and though it ended up being the best one I’ve had in a VERY long time, it started out rocky. All day my mind was swirling about with the frustration of a stagnant situation- I was sick of writing the same journal entries, praying the same prayers and having the same pep talks with myself over and over again. In the midst of all those thoughts and doubts, God sent conviction to my spirit through two separate conversations I was having with two different people simultaneously. It was overwhelming but I realized, I was all talk and no action. I was always praying, journaling and pep-talking but never DOing what I said I would/needed to do thus, yielding no results. Immediately I felt my spirit reply to the conviction.

“I’m ready to do the work”

The second half of Proverbs 18:21 (the part I never paid attention to) talks about the consequences associated with people who love to “talk”. Proverbs 18:21 Life and death are in the power of the tongue; those who love to talk will reap the consequences [NLT]. What consequences? No specific consequences are listed but for me, the stagnation, frustration and spiritual distance were definite consequences of my action-less pleas.

I’ve always said when you’re really tired of something you’ll change it or leave it alone. Maybe I wasn’t tired enough and it’s safe to say I wasn’t ready to leave anything alone, but “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?” James 2:14 [NLT]. I know God heard my prayers and I know He honors my faith in Him, I'm learning now that He's also waiting for me to walk the walk. Waiting for me to really act like I believe in Him and His power that works in me.

“Talk is cheap”

“Don’t talk about it, be about it”

“Don’t write a check with your mouth that your butt can’t cash”

“Actions speak louder than words”

These sayings are real to me, more now than ever but more important than the words are the actions they’ve inspired.

Dollars=Sense: "Lets Talk Emergency Funds"

5 Tips To Create An Emergency Fund 

By: Ambrea Curry

 

As we all know, life can throw unexpected curve balls at us at the worst times. Yes, its no secret that we all, at some point or another, experience some sort of financial inconveniences and for that reason, having an emergency fund is essential. Financial security is one of the most soft after ideas but, whether YOU will take the necessary steps to achieve financial security is the question. Below are 5 easy tips to effectively create and maintain an emergency fund.   

 

 

 

1. Assess your individual financial circumstance 

2. Determine and set a realistic goal amount and savings strategy. (daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly) Most use a monthly strategy of Direct Deposit from their employer, this is recommended because you won't "see" the money so you wont "miss" the money.

3. Find a safe location, preferably a financial Institution ( i.e. bank or credit union) that is not easily accessible.... NOT under your mattress or in an old shoe box!

4. Do NOT get a debit card for this account **I REPEAT DO NOT!!!** This way you will have to physically walk in to make any withdraws if needed.

5. Exercise DISCIPLINE!!!! (those "cute" shoes are NOT an emergency LOL...nor is that "to die for" handbag).
 
 
Some might argue that the process of building and maintaining an emergency fund is much more complicated than just these 5 simple steps, but I beg to differ. I have personally put these principles in effect, and it has been working ever since... minus a few "ohhhh these are sooo cute moments" LOL ... Happy Savings!!