Hair!

Let’s talk about hair for a moment. It’s been an obsession of mine for the last few years — growing and grooming and caring for my hair.

I decided back in November 2010 that I would start growing it as long as I could. I spent years setting up a routine and trying new hair care solutions and making my hair as healthy as possible.

And that went on until last month.

My hair had grown so long and so strong that it was too heavy to even pull up into a ponytail. So, last month I decided to cut it. A whole 9.5 inches of it. And because it was long enough, I went ahead and donated it.

You guys, it felt SO GOOD to have my hair chopped off. For the first time in years, my hair didn’t feel like it was weighing down my entire head. And for the first time in years, I could feel cool air on the back of my neck.

The coolest surprise was that because I was donating my hair, the cut was totally free! I had no idea until I went to the register to pay.

And (BONUS!) it felt awesome to know that my hair won’t be swept up and thrown away. Instead, it’s going to go to someone who needs it. Cool, right?!

It took a couple of weeks to figure out how to take care of my newly-shortened hair — to realize how much shampoo and conditioner to use, how long it takes me to style it and that I actually can’t curl it anymore — but I think I have it down pat now.

Have you ever donated your hair? If you have, I’d love to hear about your experience. Tell me in the comments!

One-Banana Muffins

Every time Josh and I buy bananas, they always start to over-ripen before we can eat them all. It doesn’t matter if we buy 10 or three, it always happens.

And I guess it doesn’t help that I’ll only eat a banana if it’s at least a little green. I probably get that from my dad. He and I both say a ripe banana is only good for making banana bread.

But, that darn one-banana dilemma hinders making a whole loaf of banana bread. I’m telling you, this happens… Every. Single. Time.

Well, a couple of weeks ago, Josh bought some bananas for us, and by the end of last week, we were left with one over-ripe banana. So, instead of throwing it away, I waited for it to turn black (black bananas make the best banana bread) and I came up with a solution…

One-banana muffins. The recipe only makes a handful of these muffins, but I think that’s kind of perfect. I never like having too many muffins (or any other kind of baked good) at home because if I can’t give away at least half,  I almost always end up throwing some away.

Oh, and maybe don’t be a goof like me — I forgot to add pecans to my muffins. Good grief.

One-Banana Muffins

Active Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yields: 6 muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 over-ripe banana
• 1/8 cup chopped pecans (optional)

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line half of a 12-muffin tin with baking cups.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

The next few steps can be done using a standalone mixer or a handheld mixer. In a medium- to large-bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add the egg and banana, and mix until well-combined. Mix in half of the flour mixture and combine, then add in the other half of the flour mixture and combine. The result should be a doughy mixture.

Add pecans, if desired, and mix one more time until the pecans are evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Place the dough into the six baking cups, dividing the dough evenly. Bake for 30 minutes or until muffins are golden-brown and cooked through. (Test this by sticking a toothpick into the center of a muffin. If it comes out clean, it’s cooked through.)

Allow muffins to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Note: This recipe was inspired by Banana Banana Bread from Allrecipes.com.

Snowpocalypse 2014

Well, I’ve been snowed in since yesterday morning.

That statement is so weird because I live in Alabama.

The whole situation was a bit frightening yesterday. Roads transformed into ice rinks. Commutes turned to day-long travels. (Thankfully, mine only lasted two hours. I heard of some people stranded on roads for 24+ hours, while others had to abandon their cars for shelter.) Interstate scenes look like they’ve been pulled from the Walking Dead. Some people have deemed it the “Snowpocalypse.” (It’s more fitting this year than it was when we got a few flurries last year.)

The office I work at closed early, and by the time I got home yesterday afternoon, close to half an inch of snow had fallen. (This is a huge deal for us Southern folk.)

So, naturally, Josh and I had to play in the snow.

Here’s a look at our snow day fun: