Be Brave, America

Be brave, America
When they say fear
The World.

Be Christian, America
When they say hate
in Christ's name.

Be courageous, America
When they say cower
Behind stony walls.

Be generous, America
When they say hoard
Your treasure.

Be kind, America
When they say close
Your heart.

Be just, America
When they say
Kill them all.

Be hopeful, America
When they say despair
Of the future.

Be great, America
When they say your time
Has passed.

Be strong, America
When they say you are too weak to be
Brave
Christian
Courageous
Generous
Kind
Just
Hopeful.

Great.

In the face of death and hate and fear
Be brave, America.

We can do this.

--John Magee

Product Review: Keranique Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner

It's time for another beauty review with iFabbo and this month it's Keranique's Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner. It's been awhile since I've done a product review since my last one for T3Micro Twirl 360 Motion Sensing Styling Iron was not my favorite. I was ready for a product that really worked, especially since I have hair that is constantly styled with heat and product on a daily basis.

Here's what I thought of the product:

Description of Product via Keranique:
The foundation for thicker, fuller looking hair. The Clean & Condition Set is specially formulated to gently clean and stimulate the scalp to nourish and rejuvenate the hair follicles.

Benefits:
Clean & Condition Set is the foundation for thicker, fuller looking hair.

Scalp Stimulating Shampoo for Thinning Hair:

• Retains shine.
• Provides combability, detangling & smoothing without weighing the hair down.
• Removes build-up.
• Protects against cuticle damage.
• Healthy way of keeping hair fuller and thicker looking.

Volumizing Keratin Conditioner for Thinning Hair:

• Conditions and volumizes fine hair.
• Improves manageability, combability, detangling & conditioning without weighing the hair down.
• No heavy, waxy feeling on the hair nor scalp.
• Adds body and volume.
• Improves hair strength and provides anti-breakage protection.

Ingredients:

Scalp Stimulating Shampoo for Thinning Hair
Water (Aqua), Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Lauramidopropyl Betaine, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Decyl Glucoside, Polyquaternium-7, Polyquaternium-11, Panthenol, Disteareth-100 IPDI, lPanax Ginseng Root Extract, Glycerin, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Methoxy PEG/PPG-7/3 Aminopropyl Dimethicone, Menthol, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein PG-Propyl Silanetriol, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Biotin, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Zinc Gluconate, Ornithine HCl, Niacinamide, Hydrolyzed Ceratonia Siliqua Seed Extract, Glucosamine HCl, Calcium Pantothenate, Arginine, Citrulline, Arctium Majus Root Extract, Acetyl Tyrosine, Quaternium- 95, Dipropylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Propanediol, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Chlorphenesin, Methylisothiazolinone.

Volumizing Keratin Conditioner for Thinning Hair
Water (Aqua), Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cetyl Alcohol, Isododecane, Cetrimonium Chloride, Quaternium 91, Polyquaternium-7, Polyquaternium-11, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Panthenol, Glycerin, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Mryristate, Menthol, Methoxy PEG/PPG- 7/3 Aminopropyl Dimethicone, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein PG-Propyl Silanetriol, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Quaternium-95, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Keratin, Stearamine Oxide, Biotin, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Amodimethicone, Hydrolyzed Ceratonia Siliqua Seed Extract, Octocrylene, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Sucrose Laurate, Inulin Lauryl Carbamate, Zinc Gluconate, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Ornithine HCl, Niacinamide, Glucosamine HCl, Citrulline, Calcium Pantothenate, Arginine, Arctium Majus Root Extract, Acetyl Tyrosine, Propanediol, Dipropylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Potassium Sorbate, Chlorphenesin, Methylisothiazolinone.

Does It Work?:
I was really happy with this product because it gets rid of all of the product in my hair, giving it a clean, tingling feeling. The stimulation of the scalp keeps my hair thick and healthy without the need for parabens or sulfates. It's even safe for color-treated hair. 

Cost: $49.95 for the set

Where Is It Sold?: You can find it at the Keranique website here: http://bit.ly/1fXnMbB and use the coupon code THICKER25 now through Dec. 31, 2015 for 25% off any Keranique purchase. 

Connect:
If you want to learn more about Keranique, visit their social media pages--
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

Disclaimer: I was given a complimentary unit to review this product. Opinions are all my own. 

Final Sunset Cruise of 2015 (Short Version)

Usually I try to curate these little photoblog posts down to a reasonable batch of good pictures before posting them. But last night I posted an entry with a batch of 61 photos for our final sunset cruise of 2015. I'm not even the least bit sorry, since it was crazy nice outside yesterday: 75 degrees and sunny in early November in Michigan. I expect paging through the photos in that blog post to keep me warm through the approaching winter.

(And in my defense I did whittle that batch down from the 200+ pictures I took while we cruised.)

But here's a considerably more reasonably sized best-of batch from last night's cruise for normal people. Enjoy!

Final Sunset Cruise of 2015

It was an unbelievable 75 degrees and sunny on Tuesday, November 3. Since we had already scheduled the removal of our pontoon boat the next morning, this was our final sunset cruise of the year.

Come along for the ride

This is what the sunset looks like through Monique's rose-colored glasses:

 

Goodbye, West end of the lake. Goodbye, sunset.

Back at the dock our neighbor was burning a pile of branches out on the island.

Home again, home again.

It's been a fun and busy year of redecking and refitting the ol' Stealth Pontoon, so we didn't get it in the lake this year until mid-August. I'm glad we've had a nice long Fall to enjoy the lake.

See you in the Springtime, Stealth Pontoon. I've got more electrical doo-dads still waiting to be installed.