just lots of questions

Apologies again for the lack of updates.  I'll try to give a bit of a catch up here.  I would love it if Eileen gave you an update herself but it's been challenging to find the time and energy.  We've collectively started a couple posts but then we don't get them finished up.  Days fly by.

I seem to have nothing but questions lately:  Is it the meds?  Is it the tumors sapping her strength?  Is it her immune system warring against invading bodies?  Is the palliative treatment from earlier this month doing any good?  Does the breakthrough pain sap her to the point where she just needs rest?  All of the above?  I've been spending probably too much time contemplating all this and more.  I'd pay anything for the answers.....but then again, maybe I don't really want to know.  It doesn't really matter when it all comes down to it- we just need to continue to work toward making Eileen as comfortable and happy as possible.

We've continued to have some rugged days with pain management and nausea (with a little vomiting).  Also, the GI issues continue to be hard to manage.  (meds too far...meds not far enough...etc).  We keep thinking we're just about to get things controlled, but then we have bad days again.  Curses.

We've scheduled another dose of the palliative treatment in SF about 2 weeks from now.  Our hospice doctor feels it's a no-brainer to go for another dose- the thought being that it doesn't seem to cause side effects that we can't manage and it's possible that it's doing some good.  On that note; the fact that Eileen has the previous dose on board right now makes me question the recent difficulties with pain and sleepiness and (real or perceived) progression of her symptoms.  One of the parting comments from the SF doc was that things might get a little worse before they might get a little better.  There's a lot going on in her central nervous system, so if the tumors get a little angry (they call it tumor flare) it could be seen as a positive.  Who knows, maybe the stuff is actually doing something good and her immune system is working overtime to go after the shit-ass cancer that's all up in there.  Again with the unanswerable questions.  We just keep hoping.  It's good to have hope.  Though I never thought of myself as much of an optimist, I sure have been wearing that hat lately.

In nicer news, E's sister Meg came out for a few days while her mom headed back to CT to touch home base.  It was great to have Meg here and it was good for her mom to spend some time with her grandchildren back home in CT.  I sure wish everyone lived closer.

For the time being, we're on a schedule with the hospice folks wherein we get a daily nurse visit.  We're all trying to get the meds dialed in around the pain and nausea and it's been helpful to have the nurses here more often.  They're in close contact with E's new hospice doctor and that's been going really well.  We're super glad that we signed up with her....she is GREAT.  We had an in-home appointment with the doctor and our main hospice nurse earlier this week.  We feel that even though the med road is still pretty rough, we will eventually get to a point of stability and comfort.  Here's to hoping!

I'll wrap this up by again giving a huge THANK YOU for all the well wishes and good thoughts and prayers etc.  We're really bad at getting back to people, but please know that we appreciate it!

More about → just lots of questions

Foodie PenPals

I want to tell you about something fun that I discovered.

It's called Foodie PenPals.

Remember having a pen pal in elementary school?

It's kinda like that, except you send a box of yummy goodies instead of writing letters.

Awesome, right?

You send your box of goodies to a new person each month.

This was my first time participating, and I received a box from Alisha Crossley.

Check it out!

 

 I am enjoying all the goodies she sent me, but I have to especially thank Alisha for something.

She introduced me to Biscoff cookies.

I'm in LOVE!!!

I had heard about them, but never bought any and didn't really know what they tasted like.

 So, when I got my box I saw this on the back of the Biscoff package...

...the light bulb went off over my head!

These were those yummy cookies they used to serve on airplanes!

I loved those cookies! Needless to say, they are almost gone. And I will be finding more.

Foodie Penpals was created by Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean.

Would you like to participate?

Here are some specifics:

• On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.

• You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! 

• The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!

• Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. 

• Foodie Penpals is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. 

 

If you’re interested in participating for September, just CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.

More about → Foodie PenPals

But We Just Did Your Hair!

You know that amazing sense of satisfaction when you finish a marathon styling session? Isn't it great?

I'm sure many of you also know that not-so-amazing feeling when you find out that your child is about to do something that could completely destroy the style that took hours to do, right? I just got to experience that feeling last week.

I spent 9 hours putting Syd's hair into the mini twist style she's currently wearing. Then, less than a week later, I heard the words "We're having a paint war at youth group!"

Yep, you read that right. A paint war. Followed by a water fight. My first thought was "That sounds like fun!" That was immediately followed by my second thought, which was "But we just did your hair!" Sigh.

Now, I would never make her miss out on a fun experience like that because of her hair, but for a minute there I was really wishing I could just tell her not to go. I mean, how on earth would we scrub paint out of her head full of twists without causing the frizz of the century? Those 200+ twists could very easily become casualties of the impending paint war.

But, as you may have expected, we did find a way for her to participate without destroying her twists. It worked like a charm and it was super easy. I'm sure most people would come up with something similar, but I wanted to show you what I did in case you find yourself in a similar situation (although I'm not sure paint wars are actually all that common...lol).

First, I used my fingers to part her twists down the center of her head and put her hair into 2 cornrows.

Then I wrapped the braids around her head and pinned them up on the sides.

Now her hair fit nicely up into a shower cap.

But the shower cap didn't fit very snugly. We were afraid it may not stay on all the way and some of her hair could still get covered in paint. A quick trip to the dollar store found our solution.

That shower cap wasn't going anywhere now! At first, Syd was a little self-conscious to look like this during the paint war. I mean, there were dozens of kids there, and she didn't want to be the only one wearing something on her head. To make her feel better, I picked up a few extra shower caps while we were at the dollar store. Her plan was to ask some friends to wear them with her so she wasn't the only one, but that's not exactly how things went. People ended up asking HER if they could have one to keep their hair protected! Syd was more than happy to pass them out.

And of course, she only wore the shower cap for the paint part of the evening. She removed the two layers of protection and unpinned her hair before the water fight.

I think it's safe to say we made a wise choice keeping her hair protected. Here's the "after" shot of her cap.

And at the end of the night, I had one very colorful, very wet tween (who still had paint-free hair).

The moral of this story is this: 

There have been many times I've heard about people limiting their children's activities because they don't want to destroy a hairstyle. But at the end of the day, it's only hair. There's usually a simple way to keep hair protected. There's just nothing that compares to watching children enjoy a crazy, messy childhood!

More about → But We Just Did Your Hair!

happy WEEKEND

WISHING YOU A MOMENTOUS WEEKEND

love the Mana girls

xxxx

More about → happy WEEKEND

Does Calorie Restriction Extend Lifespan in Mammals?

Until about two years ago, the story went something like this: calorie restriction extends lifespan in yeast, worms, flies, and rodents.  Lifespan extension by calorie restriction appears to be biologically universal, therefore it's probably only a matter of time until it's demonstrated in humans as well.  More than 20 years ago, independent teams of researchers set out to demonstrate the phenomenon in macaque monkeys, a primate model closer to humans than any lifespan model previously tested.

Recent findings have caused me to seriously question this narrative.  One of the first challenges was the finding that genetically wild mice (as opposed to inbred laboratory strains) do not live longer when their calorie intake is restricted, despite showing hormonal changes associated with longevity in other strains, although the restricted animals do develop less cancer (1).  One of the biggest blows came in 2009, when researchers published the results of a study that analyzed the effect of calorie restriction on lifespan in 41 different strains of mice, both male and female (2).  They found that calorie restriction extends lifespan in a subset of strains, but actually shortens lifespan in an even larger subset.  Below is a graph of the effect of calorie restriction on lifespan in the 41 strains.  Positive numbers indicate that calorie restriction extended life, while negative numbers indicate that it shortened life:

Read more »

More about → Does Calorie Restriction Extend Lifespan in Mammals?

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

It's time to start Fall baking!

One of my favorite recipes to make this time of year is pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

I decided to make that recipe even better by turning it into cupcakes...

because then you get to put frosting on top!

Pumpkin and chocolate compliment each other so well...
if you haven't tried the combination before, you might be surprised.

And the fluffy pumpkin cream cheese frosting is the perfect topping...Delish!

I gave one of these cupcakes to my husband, and asked if he had any comments.
"Make more!", he replied.

This recipe makes about 32 cupcakes,
so whip some up and share them with your neighbors!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

adapted from Ryan Bakes

6031598

Ingredients

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon EACH of nutmeg, cloves and ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 c. milk + 1/2 tablespoon vinegar)
• 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
• 6 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

To Make The Cupcakes

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, baking soda, baking powder and salt together until well blended; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat sugar, vegetable oil, buttermilk, pumpkin, eggs and vanilla on low speed until combined. Gradually add flour mixture and beat until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Fill each paper liner 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

To Make The Frosting

In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar and beat until smooth. Add pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well. This frosting is very soft, so you may want to refrigerate it before you frost your cupcakes. After frosting, garnish cupcakes with mini chocolate chips if desired.

Powered by Recipage

Enjoy!

Want another yummy pumpkin & chocolate recipe?
Check out my Chocolate Pumpkin Cake with Cornelli Lace!

I share my recipes & tutorials at these fun link parties.

This post was featured!

More about → Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Cake Decorating Classes for Fall 2012

Now, I know many of you don't live in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. But some of you do.
I would love to meet you and have you join me in a cake decorating class! I'm offering cake decorating classes in five community education locations around Minneapolis and St. Paul this fall, as well as my regular classes at the JoAnn store in Edina.

I have three opportunities to learn the Cake Decorating Basics:
- Thursdays, Sept. 20 & 27, 6-8:30pm:
Stillwater Area High School
 
- Saturdays, Sept. 22 & 29, 10am-12:30pm:
Henry Sibley High School (West St. Paul)
 
- Mondays, Oct. 1 & 8, 6-8:30pm:
White Bear Lake South Campus

If you're already good at icing cakes smoothly, holding a piping bag correctly, and making some basic decorations, maybe you'd like to join me for a "beyond the basics" Cake Decorating 201 class.
- Mondays, Nov. 2 & 12, 6-8:30pm:
White Bear Lake South Campus
 
- Thursdays, Nov. 8 & 13, 6pm-8:30pm:
Stillwater Area High School
 
- Saturdays, Nov. 10 & 17, 10am-12:30pm:
Henry Sibley High School (West St. Paul)

I'm also doing a class focusing on actually baking the cake, and getting it out of the pan without sticking, reducing crumbs, and even how to make cake mixes better.

- Monday, Nov. 19, 6-8:30pm:
Henry Sibley High School (West St. Paul)

For more seasonal classes, I have a fondant class, one with fall leaves, and in the December one, we will make a Holly wreath on the cake (with fondant).

- Thursday, Oct. 11, 6-8:30pm
Fridley High School
 
- Sunday, Dec. 16, 1-3:30pm:
Crystal Community Center

For Halloween, we will make cake pops - witches, jack-o-lanterns, eyeballs, mummies. 

- Sunday, Oct. 28, 2-4pm:
Crystal Community Center
 
- Monday, Oct. 29, 6:30-8:30pm
Henry Sibley High School (West St. Paul)

And, it's a little early to think about the Holidays (unless you're my friend, Lisa, who already has all of her Christmas gifts wrapped)... but I will host three Family Gingerbread House workshops in December.

- Saturday, Dec. 8, 10am-Noon
Henry Sibley High School (West St. Paul)
 
- Saturday, Dec. 15, 10am-Noon
Stillwater Area High School
 
- Saturday, Dec. 15, 1:30pm-3:30pm
White Bear Lake South Campus

You can always visit my home website: bekicookscakes.com to see the most up-to-date class offerings and schedules. You can also check out my private parties and workshops there.

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More about → Cake Decorating Classes for Fall 2012

Turning Small Box Braids into Even Smaller Mini Twists

(Climbs out from under the rock I've been hiding under)

Hi there! I know it's been months since I've posted anything new. I would say I'm sorry, but....well...we've been having an absolutely amazing time just experiencing life and if I could do the last few months over again, I wouldn't change a thing! Opportunities presented themselves and we seem to always jump at the chance to step outside the box. If you've been following us for a while, you're probably aware of our recent missions trip to Guatemala. As expected, that was another life-changing trip for us. I'll make a separate post about that trip in the near future to tell you all about it!

Now....back to hair.

For the trip to Guatemala, Syd wore her hair in small box braids. I figured that was probably the easiest style for the rough conditions since there is no daily styling requirements. Just a bit of moisturizer every evening and she was done.

Syd's braids at the end of the trip

Those braids lasted a few weeks and survived some pretty harsh conditions. (If you want more details about how I do Syd's box braids, check out this post about small box braids.) The braids probably could have even lasted another week, but school was starting and every girl HAS to have a fresh style for that all-important first day of school. So we changed her box braids into mini twists. Here's how.

I wanted to do the new style on clean hair but didn't want to have a long detangling session, so Syd washed her hair while it was still in the braids. I tied most of it up out of the way, only working with a few braids at a time. I would unravel one braid, finger detangle that section to remove shed hair, added some Bee Mine Luscious Balanced Cream Moisturizer, and then turned the hair from that one braid into two new twists.

You could still see the part lines from the previous box braids style, but Syd's hair is so thick that those lines disappeared when we got further along in the style.

I did the back half of Syd's hair one afternoon, but we had somewhere to be that evening, so I stopped for the night. I pulled the top half of her hair back and she wore her hair half up for the night. The top half was in braids and the bottom half was in twists, but it really wasn't too noticeable.

We finished the twists the next day. It took just under 9 hours to complete the style. At first, I was shocked (and a little irritated) that it took so long, but then I remembered that I had removed over 100 braids, moisturized her hair, removed shed hair, AND created well over 200 new twists. So I suppose 9 hours isn't too bad, all things considered. (Patience, Rae....patience.) Regardless of how long it took to complete, her twists look great and she loves them.

Excuse the low photo quality here.

Syd is also back to running cross country this year, so the twists have spent a lot of time just being pulled back into a ponytail. But she did decide to style them for the first day of school. She french braided the front of one side along her hairline, and then pulled all of her hair into a low side ponytail. It's simple but cute...a perfect style for a 12 year old to do on herself!

I've missed you all.....it feels good to be back! Be blessed! =)

More about → Turning Small Box Braids into Even Smaller Mini Twists

Growing Out Bangs...Triple Dutch Braids

My sweet niece came to spend the day with us.  

A little story about her.  Several years ago she found scissors, and we all know that NEVER ends well.  Her hair was in the process of growing out and she had some bangs that she wanted trimmed.  Well, my sister wouldn't do it "RIGHT THEN" so she found another set of scissors and took matters into her own hands.  

When my Sophie originally wanted "no more bangs", she thought it meant we had to cut them off.  We reminded her that is what my niece did and Sophie remembered and changed her tune.  

So little missy has been growing her hair out.  I have taken it upon myself to be in charge of her hair.  She is good with it, I am good with it and my little sister who is self-described as "not girly at all" is good with it.  

Here is another little "growing out the bangs do.  Because her hair is at different lengths, there are some wispys with the bang ends.  With the finished style, you can hardly tell.

Messy bun tutorial

More about → Growing Out Bangs...Triple Dutch Braids

Guest Post: Exercise, The Enemy Of The Afro?

It’s been almost three months and my love affair deepens by the day. It was a slow burner to start and I felt put upon and drained of my time and energy. Then came the compliments, and an awareness of the physical changes in me. Finally like the season, I blossomed and developed a full blown crush….. on my hair (what else would I have been talking about?) Though it hasn't been plain sailing; indeed quite the contrary.

Exercise is not my friend, it is my enemy. The problem is my somewhat rotund physique ensures the gym is a necessary evil I must endure to curtail the inevitable onset of obesity. What was once an unpleasant task of a twice weekly exercise regime, in the days of braids, where I’d invest in sweetly scented sprays, sheens and oils to mask the smell of sweat (grimace but you know it’s the truth) and slept after a quick blow dry; has become an arduous rigmarole since the onset of natural hair. Now my hair is no doubt cleaner thanks to my twice weekly washes, deep conditioning, nightly twist outs and detangling. There is however the bitter joy in the morning, trying to style an uncontrollable mop of angry hair still to fully dry out from the night before.

I am a member of an infamous gym, regarded as such for its diabolical customer service, 1990s music videos on repeat (God forbid they play music that featured since the millennium), moody staff,  faulty machinery, broken air con machine; dilapidated crumbling walls, changing facilities that smell of rotting animal and a general sub standard service. Its sole reason for continued trade is its proximity to public transport, lack of viable competition and that it’s located in a poor neighbourhood where people don’t feel empowered enough to write letters of complaint and report them to the papers.

It’s summer, I’ve gained a few too many pounds and now sporting the tiny afro, more of my face is on display and the chubby cheeks, cute age 11, aren’t a redeeming feature on a 30 year old single woman looking for a man. 

It is funny how little notice I've taken of other women and their hair dilemmas in the past – that’s because braids weren't threatened by exercise, in fact they embraced it. But now with every bead of sweat, I know I’ll be punished; forced to spend what should be sleep time reviving my inconsolable hair, so I watch with avid interest to see how the other ladies manage.

There’s the girl with the hard face who only smiles when there are men in the vicinity, whose relaxed short crop is so newly permed you can smell the chemical relaxer oozing from her pores as she sensually struts on the cross trainer (often in very short shorts - which she clearly customised from a previously respectable pair of trousers and a circa 1990 crop top). She once proudly proclaimed that she avoided sweating to save her hair. It seems her inspiration for exercise is less the working out and more the working men.

There is the beautiful Nigerian girl with the trendy long weave, who loves her hair as much as life itself. You can tell by her incessant stroking and touching, whipping her head at every opportunity for the most grandiose effect. With every bounce of that hair, you can see her jubilation and heightened sense of worth. She relies on a bandana, but there’s so much hair, I’m not sure how effective it proves. We once talked about going natural – before I actually did it - and how we’d manage with all the exercise. She looked me straight in the eye and without even the faintest hint of irony, proclaimed with pride that her hair was indeed natural. She mustn’t have seen her natural hair for more than fifteen minutes every four weeks for the last ten years. That’s the time in-between weaves when she’d wash it, quickly cover it in a baseball cap and run to the salon hoping nobody spots her on the bus.

Then there’s the ultimate embodiment of fitness herself. She’s on the treadmill running effortlessly at a pace you hoped only sub human athletes (high on dope) ran at. Her natural tight curls (never wrapped, just free to bounce in the wind), has not even a strand out of place and where sweat ought to be running down her face (as mine is so fast it momentarily blinds me causing me to trip and hit my head with such force the staff run to my aid), her precision perfect make up glows flawlessly, radiating the perfection of her soul. Compared to the women who refuse to exert any real energy for fear of their hair becoming embroiled in sweat, this light skinned Zimbabwean beauty runs as though she’s possessed. She sports a lycra two piece, sculpting her J-Lo butt and six pack. Me on the other hand, I wear a t-shirt with jogging bottoms a size too big to accommodate for the ‘guddush’ ‘guddush’ movement of my arse defying the laws of gravity every time I run.

The most interesting sight to behold for me, remains the assortment of head gear proudly on display. The scarves, bandanas, do-rags, even tights are all tightly wrapped round women’s heads to contain the beast within. Most shocking was the shower cap (not in the steam room, as one may reasonably assume, but on the treadmill). The woman had conditioned her locks, put on her cap and was pounded the treadmill for the ultimate deep conditioning steam.

The end of my workout beckons and I drag myself to the mat area to endure the mandatory five minute waste of time, abs session. Shocked by the sight in the mirror, my once substantial afro has shrunk to an unrecognisable half-inch, reminding me of the African school girls I so regularly mistake for boys, but for the mandatory dangle of gold earrings to remind you they are female. I am wearing no earrings. Full steam ahead I go. Dropping to the mat and rising again like a deranged jack in the box. Then out of nowhere, a man stands directly behind me, he pays me no mind (he mistakes me for a boy) and with no shame or even the hint of humour, lifts his top up, tenses his abs and gawks at his own reflection. He turns from side to side, getting a good view from every profile and after a full five minutes (which is a long time to stare at yourself in a public forum) he drops his t-shirt, gives himself a smile and saunters off, without a glimpse of embarrassment.

Spent from an exhausting session of exercise and people watching, I trudge home where the real work of rectifying my hair begins!...

Calamity Jane

More about → Guest Post: Exercise, The Enemy Of The Afro?

Madonna's "MDNA Show Manifesto" Defends Using Guns on Tour: Do You Agree?

As we speak, Madonna is en route to my city- Philadelphia, to launch the North American leg of her "MDNA World Tour".  In advance of her arrival, she has released a statement to the local Metro defending one of the most controversial parts of her tour...the use of fake firearms in concert.  Here is a portion of that statement:

"It's true there is a lot of violence in the beginning of the show and sometimes the use of fake guns - but they are used as metaphors.  I do not condone violence or the use of guns.  Rather they are symbols of wanting to appear strong and wanting to find a way to stop feelings  that I find hurtful or damaging.   In my case its wanting to stop the lies and hypocrisy of the church,  the intolerance of many narrow minded cultures and societies I have experienced throughout my life and in some cases  the pain I have felt from having my heart broken".

Gun violence is (unfortunately) not a new problem.  However, the topic is quite timely due to increased U.S. media coverage following several mass shootings in the past few weeks- Aurora, CO, Oak Creek, WI, and New York, NY.  The issue of gun violence has reached crisis levels in Philadelphia where Madonna will be performing.  A new open source journalism project called http://guncrisis.org/ "contends that there is an epidemic of homicide by gunfire in Philadelphia and similar cities".  They are seeking solutions.

The solutions being sought by GunCrisis: Philadelphia and others involve taking a public health approach to gun violence.  The recent high profile shootings have produced several well-written pieces about gun violence and what we need to do next:

•  Prompt policy discussions about easy access to ammunition, high-capacity magazines, and assault weapons.
• Use our public health skills to conduct further research into the causes of firearm injuries.
• Examine gun violence as a social disease- one that stems from a society "saturated with guns".

Tell me what you think:

Do you believe that the gun "saturation" goes beyond those in our homes to include those used for entertainment?  E.g., Guns in movies or video games; Madonna's concert props

Is Madonna successful? Does using guns as a metaphorical image help her reach her goals and battle against hypocrisy and intolerance?

In addition to those listed above, what other strategies should we incorporate into a public health approach against gun violence?

More about → Madonna's "MDNA Show Manifesto" Defends Using Guns on Tour: Do You Agree?

Delicious Winter Edition Deluxe

Put on your apron! In the busy month of December Emily could sure use some extra help in Delicious winter edition Deluxe. She has decorated the restaurant beautifully and will be serving delicious Christmas treats. This festive game consists of 2 game modes and 7 different restaurants. Roll up your sleeves and lend Emily a hand!

Game Size 28 MB

OR

OR

OR

Have fun and feel free to leave your comments!

Recommended for free users: Use Jdownloader to increase download speed!

More about → Delicious Winter Edition Deluxe

The Giveaway: More Than Hair **closed**

Uknaturals is holding an event in aid of raising money for breast cancer research

on Sunday 9th September 6pm-10pm,  at the paradise,19 Kilburn lane, Kensal Green, London W10 4AE

They aim to raise £1000 on the night

tickets are £15 and 30%of ticket sales will be donated to charity, they will be hosting a raffle with proceeds going to charity.

Each guest will receive a goody bag from KeraCare and Curls!

The organisers have offered up TWO tickets for Natural Belle readers (You must be UK based)  and all you have to do is like UKnaturals on Facebook and comment below with your contact details (this can be an email address or twitter handle)

the giveaway closes 1st September, Good Luck!

More about → The Giveaway: More Than Hair **closed**