Oct. 31 - Happy Halloween!

Minion's First Halloween!

AnCatDubh would like to direct you to THIS Facebook album where you can see

plenty more of his favorite Halloween photos.

We didn't do much Halloweeny stuff this year.  We were very excited, early on, to decorate our back porch with lights for the first time but we were lazy about actually doing that and didn't get it done or turned on until Saturday night.  They looked fabulous!  Twinkling white/green ghost lights, twinkling purple spider lights, simple orange lights . . . all the Halloween colors in a simple layout.  I forgot to take a picture that night, and wouldn't you know, the next night half of them weren't working.  Maybe hubby can find the problem this evening and I can get a pic of them tonight.

We did spend most of Saturday getting our CHRISTMAS lights hung.  Last year we waited too long and they looked like half-assed crap because it was too cold to hang things properly, so this year we grabbed what might be one of the last decent days and at least got the basics strung up.  We have our lighted figures (deer, etc.) placed too but have not yet hung the more obvious things like big wreaths or green garland along the porch rails.  And no, they won't be turned on until after Thanksgiving.

Sunday we went to Menards to grab a few more Christmas lights and ended up grabbing several more Halloween decorations because they were on sale for about half off.  The weather was crappy though, so we didn't actually finish hanging those lights.  I was going to make fun Halloween cupcakes but have never made cupcakes before (believe it or not!) and in the end decided to just make a boring pan cake.  Hubby and I carved our two pumpkins last night, and that's about it.  The boys had no interest in carving this year.  Well Matt was willing but when he realized we didn't have one for him he stomped off.  Heh, Matt, that's what I meant Saturday when I told you and Ty to get more pumpkins if you want to carve some.  *shakes head*

Hubby has been watching every cheesy zombie show and movie that comes on but I don't bother.  The only scary movie I've watched recently was Quarantine 2 even though early in the month I'd been wanting to dig out all our classic thrillers and watch them leading up to Halloween day.  Oh well, maybe we'll at least force a viewing of Charlie Brown tonight before hubby watches Terra Nova.

And today is Halloween.  To me, it seems like yesterday was Halloween.  Not sure why.  Today is my day off and I've been fighting the urge to pack up all my Halloween decorations already.  

Did you have any spooky fun this Halloween?

Oct. 31 - Haul vs. Review

I've been asked several times "What is a 'haul'?"  A 'haul' is just a showing of what you got on your recent shopping spree or in your latest order.  Hauls are not really reviews because the items are usually being shown before they've been tried out.  It's the thrill of "Look what I got!" 

A review is your opinion of products that you have used and are familiar with.  You wouldn't give your opinion of a book before you read it, would you?  No, just like when I get new soaps I can oooh and aah about how pretty they are or how lovely they smell, but an actual review would not come until much later after I'd had a chance to really use that soap in the shower and see how it performed, how my skin felt, etc.

I much prefer hauls over reviews, and you may have noticed I rarely even do actual reviews here.  With a haul you can see how the product comes to you, how it's packaged, if any other goodies come with it, initial reactions.  With a haul you might get an idea of how fast or slow the shipping was, or what the price was, or how customer service was . . . and you might get that info in a review too.  But I like the fun of the sort of excited show-n-tell of hauls because you're just seeing what's presented without the strong personal opinions of a full review.

If I see something in a haul that I know just isn't what I'm looking for, I already know I don't need to concern myself with it further.  If there is something I was considering ordering but then see in someone's haul that it's way smaller/larger or ugly or something other than I thought, I know I probably won't order it.  If it's something I think is still really cool or something I might not have considered before, I might go ahead and order.

A review, on the other hand, is so subjective.  (Or is relative the word I'm looking for?)  If I were to review a goat milk soap in lavender scent and said I hated it because I hate lavender scents, that doesn't mean the soap is bad for everyone.  Maybe you love lavender scents.  If I reviewed that soap saying the lather was weak and barely lasted, well there are a lot of things to consider in that.  My water is very hard.  Maybe yours isn't.  I prefer huge amounts of lather because I've been spoiled by commercial body washes.  Maybe you prefer a soap that just gets the job done without bubbles galore.  If I review a candle and say it's weak because I can't smell it in the next room . . . I have huge rooms in my old country farmhouse.  Maybe you are in a small apartment.

See what I mean?  Even if I had a horrible experience with a product and reviewed it that way, doesn't mean you would.  Example, the one time I ordered from Bath & Body Works online it took extra long to get my order, only to find out *I* had screwed up and switched some numbers around in my address.  If I reviewed a candle and whined about how it tunneled and the wick sucked, and then found out that I should have burned it for longer periods at a time . . . maybe that's something you already know and that candle would have been great for you.  If I review a soap that I complain leaves me dry and itchy, maybe your skin type is totally different than mine and that soap would be fine.

So you see why I prefer hauls?  I'm showing you what you'll get, with the basic information about it provided, without delving too deeply into my very personal opinions.

Having said all that, I am not against doing reviews at all.  I just don't prefer reading or watching them.  If there is ever anything you'd like to see a full review on, feel free to let me know!  :)

Oct. 26 - FuturePrimitive Christmas Haul

 

 FuturePrimitive

Yep, I'm aware that it's not even Halloween yet and I've labeled this a Christmas haul.  I was hoping this line from FuturePrimitive wouldn't have been released until later, and even then I'd only really planned on getting one soap.  When the line went live recently . . . way sooner than I'd expected . . . at first I decided to just forget about it.  I have enough soap already, didn't need anymore so why bother for just one bar, yadda yadda.  I thought I'd just wait till around Thanksgiving and order one or two Christmas soaps locally.  I went back to the FuturePrimitive site repeatedly, put things in my cart repeatedly, changed my mind and emptied that cart repeatedly.

And then decided ah screw it, just get a bunch and be done with it.  So I did.  And regretted it.  But it was done, and today that package arrived.

The first thing you might notice is that this is not the typical FuturePrimitive look, and not what I would normally buy.  There are cupcakes in there!  And a slice of pie!

There was a card included, with a nice little note written inside.  I thought this was cool because the picture is of an old tall ship at Portsmouth.  This is cool to Lost geeks like myself because the Black Rock sailed from Portsmouth, hehe.  But really, Tiggy of FuturePrimitive had gone on vacation not long ago to Portsmouth and had hoped to find soapy inspiration there.  She posted on Facebook about wanting some Christmas inspiration too and I mentioned that Charles Dickens was born there, and what was more Christmas-y than A Christmas Carol?  I was tickled to see she'd used that idea and based the holiday line on Dickens, and even more tickled to get a mention about this in her video for it!

Midnight Marauder

This is the main soap I'd been waiting to order.  It's actually a Harry Potter inspired soap, and named after the Marauder's Map.  Look closely and you'll even see the little footprints on the soap!  Described as 'Dark wood, forest bracken, pine & spruce with the musky sweetness of an Elder wand. Orange peel, sugar scatterings and a tumbling of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans,' and I absolutely LOVE this one.  This might be my favorite ever from Tiggy!  You definitely get the orange peel right off the bat but then the musk and sugar sweetness and the pine come charging up behind in a beautiful blend.  If you didn't know pine was in it I don't think you'd ever guess but it still does remind me a bit of Christmas.  Love LOVE this one!  So glad I went ahead with this order!

Snowdrift

Once I'd decided to go ahead and order a few more things, this was what caught my eye next.  It's a beautiful white bar called Snowdrift and is described as 'A warming blend of Hot Milk, Honey & Oatmeal with a sugary lick of pure white marzipan. Like a cup of hot milk that Grandma used to make...with an additional 'there there'. Cosy!'   I also love this one!  It is so close to the Oatmeal, Milk & Honey scent that I adore, something I never thought I'd see from FuturePrimitive.  I'm tempted to say it IS good ol' OMH, but the description mentions marzipan.  Ohhh, I could sniff this all night.  Um, well, when I'm not sniffing Midnight Marauder.  (It's a sweet, comforting scent for those of you who are unfamiliar with Oatmeal, Milk & Honey.)

Old Curiosity 

Tiggy had decided to try her hand at making cupcake soaps and I decided since I was going gung-ho on the Christmas soaps I'd buy some.  This one is Old Curiosity, described as 'Cobbled streets of Charles Dickens's Portsmouth. Wafts of Vanilla pods, Cold Icy mornings, the glow of lamplight through old leaded windows and the frosty snap of fresh Peppermint Creams.'  Vanilla mint . . . yummy!  And a perfect winter scent.  This little guy looks a bit rough after the long trip from England but he's still cute and smells so sooo yummy.  A no frills vanilla mint scent, reminds me of wintergreen chewing gum.

 

Cratchit's Lemon Tea

I kept coming back to this one, Cratchit's Lemon Tea, because it looked so pretty and the lemon was calling to me.  Described as 'Tangy lemons steeped in lightly spiced wine with unrefined sugar chunks and a little honey,' it's very lemony, almost like a Pledge lemon . . . but still nice.  

 

Pickwick's Pear 

Pickwick's Pear is described as 'Ripe Williams Pears, thick glass jars of Devil’s Bit Scabious honey, a scattering of Evesham Walnuts and a sprinkle of sugar.'  I don't get any pear from this scent.  It's a heavier, sort of warm scent that must be from the sugar and walnut.  There is something almost perfumey about it at the same time, but in a dark way.  I don't know how to describe it.  This is probably my least favorite of the bunch.  It's not a bad scent, just nothing like I was expecting.

Spiced Pumpkin Cider

Since I'd ordered way more than ever expected, and because I don't have nearly enough pumpkin scents already, I decided on one last bit of careless spending.  Tiggy hadn't only been playing with cupcakes, but soap cakes (or pies) too!  Spiced Pumpkin Cider is described as 'Hot Bubbling Cider spiced with Clove buds & Cinnamon sticks with a smoky base of Tahitian vanilla bean.'  I've smelled so many variations of pumpkin scents recently . . . in soaps, candles, and tarts . . . that I can't even say for sure anymore if this smells pumpkiny or not.  I would like to say it smells closer to true pumpkin than anything but it might just be the clove that's telling me that.  It's not like the sweet pumpkin pie scents you'd most likely think of.  There is a bit of oddness, probably the cider factor.  It's an interesting, spicy scent and a darn cute piece of pie.

I was a bit saddened to see there were no samples in this order, especially for being a pretty good sized order.  I've always gotten something before, even if just a tiny vial of perfume oil.  Perhaps the card was in place of that.  Ah well, my order got here crazy fast this time and it's always a pleasure shopping at FuturePrimitive.

Will you be trying Tiggy's holiday line?  I'd love to hear about it!

Oct. 26 - Beguile

Back at the beginning of October, after my frustrating and disappointing first encounter with Haunt, I had a fit of 'Well if I can't get that one I'm going to try this one!' and revisited the Beguile website, a site I've browsed many times but never really thought I'd order from.  Although I absolutely love the look and style of Beguile, it is an Australian shop and in my mind, why should I order from someone I'm never going to make a regular?  That's not fair though because I've ordered several times now from FuturePrimitive and that is a UK shop.  (And neither of those is keeping with my former 'Keep it local' mentality, hehe.)

As I said, after my failed attempt with the other shop I wanted to get something special so Beguile it was.  I really don't know how I ever came to know of this shop.  I can't find any YouTube videos because if you type in 'beguile' you will get ten million videos for anything and everything and I'm not sifting through them.  Perhaps they used to have an Etsy shop?  I don't know, and I guess it doesn't matter anyway.  I've had my eye on this shop for a while and now I finally have some.

Coming from Australia, shipping was pricey and took extra long.  I ordered on Oct. 2 and it finally got here yesterday, Oct. 25.  I was prepared for that though.  When I saw the package yesterday I was so dang excited . . .

Beguile 

My order came in this brown paper gift bag (folded over) with this gorgeous fall/Halloween orange ribbon tied around it.  This arrived, not in a box or envelope but just heavily wrapped in bubble wrap with the shipping labels applied all over it.  It was wrapped and taped very securely.  I thought that was clever!

Inside was some purple tissue paper to complete the Halloween feel, and small paper note.  I ordered three bars and she included two samples.  Woohoo!  You know how I love samples!  The packaging appears simple, like many other soaps I've had in cello bags, but when I started to unwrap them I found this was not the usual thin cello bag I'm used to.  This was a heavier, more plastic type bag and I noticed on their website it is a 'biodegradable clear wrap.'  Well that's cool.  And there is a nice color coordinating glossy tag on each bar that tells the ingredients and a snippet about the company.  Very nice.

There are plenty of scents to choose from at Beguile, but not so many that it's overwhelming.  I like that.  And once again, you won't find the typical names and scents here.  There are names like Flirt and Cherish and Sinful, and there are scent blends that, even with the description, you're not sure quite what they will be.  As I've said in the past, I'm all for the simple and recognizable scents but sometimes it's just more fun to get something you're not quite sure of.

(Apologies for the funky lighting in these pictures.  I was so excited to get the package that I whipped out my camera and lighting at that time of day was not cooperating.)

Honey

I love honey and oatmeal soaps so I was drawn to this one.  While there is no milk or fragrance oil to make it my beloved Oatmeal, Milk & Honey, this one does contain real honey and real ground oatmeal.  It has no scent added but there is still a very nice, light scent, sort of a sweet floral from the Australian Ironbark honey.  It has a dusting of ground oatmeal on top.  I love the size of these bars!  They are the perfect size for your hand, and look at the top . . . big, soft peaks and swirls that remind me of the ocean and make a wonderful spot for your fingers to grip.  These bars are HARD too, while still keeping a creamy to the touch feel.  I can't wait to actually use them!

Milk

Of course I had to get the one goat milk soap I saw on the site.  Another unscented one, it's a beautiful two tone cream colored bar with more of those big, lazy swirls.  There is still that soft and slightly sweet or floral scent that comes from the ingredients.  I'm happy I went with unscented soaps because I have tons of scented lotions that I'll be working through soon and it will be nice to not have to worry about the soap scent clashing.  The site says this soap has 'a sprinkling of jasmine flowers' and the pic on the site shows some on top of the soap but I don't see any on or in mine.  I do wonder though if the bit of scent I detect is from a jasmine infusion perhaps . . . ?  Again, can't wait to use this one!

Ritual

I wanted to get a fun one as long as I was finally there and splurging.  All of the soaps are beautiful but this one really intrigued me.  Described as 'Heady, rich notes of vanilla and caramel combined with fresh Pink Grapefruit essential oil forms a unique, sensual scent,' it also has coffee listed in the ingedients.  I love this one, that simple but elegant dark line, and a sprinkling of something that looks like cinnamon on top . . . love it.  The scent on this one is light once again, and is mainly that clean sort of soapy smell but you also detect something else there.  If you didn't know there was grapefruit in it I don't think you'd ever be able to pick it out, and I don't get any distinct vanilla or caramel, but all together you do get hints of a sweetness.  I can't wait to use it and see if the scent will bloom.  Even if it doesn't, it's still very nice.

Infuse and Flirt

The sample on the left is called Infuse and is a lemongrass/green tea scent.  You definitely get the lemongrass in this one and it's quite strong.  There are speckles throughout the soap and something on top, either the ground lemongrass or the green tea, or both.  The one on the right is Flirt and is so cute with it's reddish pink swirl.  The look of this would be perfect for a candy cane scented soap but Flirt is a fruity mix of lime, raspberries, and apple blossoms, with a touch of vanilla.  I can't pick out any one fruit in particular and I can't tell specifically that it's vanilla in there but you can tell something is softening the tartness of the fruit.  This one is almost perfumey, nice and somewhat sweet.

Beguile also has sugar scrubs, herbal balms, and body oils, and they even have wax tarts.  Yay!  When the price is converted to US dollars it is very comparable to other shops I've been ordering from, and the bars I received are all just under 5oz.  I'm very glad I finally ordered from them, and will probably order every now and then just to treat myself.  If you are a handcrafted soap junkie like I am, definitely check this one out!

If you've tried Beguile I'd love to hear about it.  If you know of any YouTube video hauls or reviews, or blog posts, direct me to them.  I'm very curious about what others have to say.

Beguile . . . WEBSITE

Beguile . . . BLOG

Beguile . . . FACEBOOK

Oct. 21 - Nail Polish

We've already established that I am not a girlie girl and will probably never get into wearing makeup.  I have, however, been playing around a bit with nail polish lately.  I used to think you needed long, beautifully sculpted nails to wear polish.  Agreed, it probably looks better that way but when I started watching so-called beauty gurus on YouTube and noticed some of them had short, less than perfect nails like mine but were still wearing polish I thought 'Hmmm....'

What really got this started for me was last year when hubby and I went to our second Minnesota Vikings game.  Now, he is the kind of guy who is perfectly willing do get totally geeked out in team colors in any way he can.  I am not that bold but wanted to do something more than just wear a Vikings shirt to the game.  Hey!  I'll paint my nails purple!  I didn't want to spend a lot of money on high end polish when this would be a one time thing so when I came across tiny little bottles of super cheap Bon Bons brand in a lovely purple I grabbed it.  When I told hubby what I was doing he wanted to do his nails too.  (Told you he's a geek.)  I think he's the one who suggested alternating purple and yellow nails, but I couldn't find a proper yellow in Bon Bons so I grabbed the best inexpensive yellow I could find at the time.

So we painted our nails for the game and it was funny and I thought that would be the end of it.  But I kept thinking about it and bought a couple more Bon Bons just to play around with in general.  I'm so dang self conscious that even just wearing nail polish was a secret affair for a while.  I got so frustrated because it looked like a two year old was slopping gobs of paint onto my nails.  It wasn't long before I gave up on the whole idea.

Several months ago interest was regenerated when I got a bottle of nail polish in my Birchbox.  This time I did some research, looked up some tips for applying nail polish, and when I first tried that new bottle it was a much better experience.  Maybe because I had a bit of clue what I was doing this time?  Maybe because it was a better quality polish?  Not sure.  The shade of that polish was very neutral.  My family didn't even notice I was wearing it until I pointed it out.  Even so, I didn't really stick with it.

More recently I've been thinking about it all again.  I don't know why I get obsessive about the silliest things.  I can't wear nail polish at work.  I don't really go anywhere or get dressed up for anything.  I've made it this far in my life without doing it.  Why bother now?  I don't know, but I've been playing around with it more and more, and even bought a few more bottles of better quality stuff in colors I like instead of colors I can hide in.

I still need a lot of practice, but I think I'm getting better.  And I'm gradually getting bolder about it all.  I'm a little more ok with people actually seeing it.  Casey is mildly freaked out by it and has asked me several times lately "Why are you going all girlie?"  I think my sister was shocked too when I mentioned it on Facebook today . . . LOL

Oct. 21 - Updates

Time flies.  I can't believe, what, ten days passed between posts . . . ?  So much for posting at least *something* daily, huh?  I don't know what's going on but it just seems like I can't get ahead.  I thought by giving up soap making I'd find more time for myself and find some peace in my life again but that doesn't seem to be the case.  I have been working some extra days but not enough to make me feel as scattered as I have been lately.  As my blog titles says, "It's always something."

It is my day off today and I've had some post ideas rolling around in my head for a while so I thought I'd just combine them and do a sort of update post on a few things.

'basis' face wash - I used it several times and noticed my face getting dried out and needed to start using lotion again so I switched back to handcrafted goat milk soap.  I do like the cleanser and will keep it on hand to use maybe once a week or something for an extra deep cleaning.

Wood wick candle - We've burned this almost down to the bottom now.  Actually, I think it's low enough that I'll scoop the wax out to use as tarts at this point.  The scent throw was medium all the way through.  We really enjoyed our first wood wick candle, but when it started to get low we noticed it had more of a sputtery crackling sound and the wick started to tip to one side which then caused uneven melting.  Overall though, I would buy one of these again. 

Actually we're trying to use up all our old cheap candles that we've accumulated over the years.  Last weekend hubby said "Let's light all that we've already started," so we did.  The coffee table looked like a sacrificial alter or something!  LOL!  I'd just finished getting our Halloween decorations out and then there were about ten candles of various sizes and scents all burning among the witches and skulls and pumpkins.  It was a sight!  I should have taken some pics.  Duh me.  When we get through what we have I want to start ordering from Candles By Victoria.  Can't wait!

Zum products - My excitement for this company seems to have mysteriously fizzled out.  I can't say for sure why but a few things have happened that may have done it for me.  First, they are pricey.  I was aware of that going into it but I didn't care at that time because I'd thought I'd found a shop that had everything I wanted.  I had put one of those larger sample pieces in the shower to give it a try and a smaller piece by the sink to use as my face soap, and wow the scent on them is strong!  Maybe it's just this particular scent but it's overpowering and I don't like that.  The soap itself lathers amazingly.  It's an immediate, thick, long lasting lather similar to commercial body washes so at first I was thrilled beyond belief, but that strong scent was almost too much.  I've been using the face toner but really couldn't tell you if it's doing anything because I've never been a toner user before so I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be looking for.  It does sting a little but I figure they all do . . . ?  I haven't used the lotion enough yet to give a fair review but the price comes into it again.  There are cheaper lotions out there that I already know I like so I'm not as excited about this one anymore now that the initial thrill has worn off.  The lip balm is ok but again, there are others out there that I know I like, and for cheaper.  I thought it would be cool to get everything I use from one place and make shopping/shipping easier but maybe it's not going to be worth it in the end.  Finally, they never answered my second email and that sort of thing drives me nuts.

The Secret Circle - Oddly enough, I'm really getting into this show now.  Heather, if you're reading, it's almost nothing like the book!  I'm almost done with the first book (which would be the first two original books, I guess) and besides the fact that they're witches and some of the names being the same there really isn't much the same.  I find I much prefer the show over the book.  The last two episodes haven't been slutty so that's been a nice change.  It was almost heartbreaking last night watching Adam's reaction to what Diana was saying about fate and destiny.  I find I don't like Cassie (main character) much, while I'm liking the lesser characters more and more.  And I'm hoping Cassie and Adam don't end up together!

Eco-Emi - They've done away with their waiting list now, which is super exciting!  However, I still have to wait till November to receive my first box.  Bummer.  Since open enrollment was on Oct. 2, I was hoping we'd be squeezed in for the October box, but nope.  And it sucks even more that boxes don't come until the END of the month.  But hey, I've joined now and I'm still looking forward to getting my first box!

Oh what else is there to talk about?  Hmmm.  I've been feeling overworked and out of touch lately.  I might just do a separate pity party post about all that.  Let's see . . . Casey donated blood this week at school.  It was his first time and it was uneventful for him.  He said two kids passed out.  I remember when Ty gave blood he got really bad bruises afterwards and was sort of sick in the days that followed, to the point we almost called the nurse.  Speaking of Ty, he hit a deer last week.  Well, he says the deer hit him.  It ran into the driver side front quarter panel then bounced around and sorta caved in his back door.  There is pretty good damage to the car but no one was hurt and the deer got up and walked away.  Go figure.  Ty's waiting for an estimate now, for the deer damage and the raccoon damage from a while ago.  He's also been talking more about moving out or even buying a house.  I sooo want to laugh in the faces of all the people who talked down about him for not going to college and still living at home.  He's got a better job than most of the people I refer to and he's got more money in the bank than I've ever had or than those people ever will have.

Hubby and I are doing fine, both working too much and sleeping too little.  He had a bit of a health scare recently but all tests have come back normal so that was a relief.  He's started puttering around again in what's going to be his wood shop.  We're making the barn our project for next year . . . cleaning and rebuilding, getting him a finished shop that he can work in year-round.  I've been working on my photo album project again, ordering a lot of prints from Snapfish, and finally getting many years of neglected photos labeled and organized.  Hubby will build some shelves, probably in the living room, for me to keep the photo albums because I want them easily accessible to all so these pictures can be seen and memories relived.   Having the books stacked up in a corner of our bedroom doesn't do anyone any good.  So he's looking forward to building things and I'm looking forward to having someplace to put my books.  Win win!

And we are both really reeeeeaaallllly looking forward to this year's trip to a Minnesota Vikings game, which is coming up next month. wOOt!!

Oct. 21 - Bridesmaids (movie)

Bridesmaids
(2011)
Named her best friend's maid of honor, down-on-her-luck Annie's competition with a fellow bridesmaid, the wealthy and beautiful Helen, threatens to destroy the wedding. Meanwhile, a local cop takes a liking to Annie.

We watched this last night, finally.  I hate that Netflix is so far behind now.  Anyway, I had heard that this was like a female version of The Hangover and I thought there would be a lot more crazy hilarity but in the end, I don't really see the comparison.  I did like the movie, but it was different than what I'd thought it was going to be.

I love Kristen Wiig.  Early on in the movie I could almost relate to her character . . . I feel out of place and lacking almost every day of my life!  As the movie went on though, I found I really wasn't liking her anymore.  The whole tail light thing was driving me nuts because I know people like that.  Those who do nothing to help themselves, whine about how life craps on them.  Really?  Maybe you can't fix everything in your life but getting the small things (tail lights) taken care of is at least something you can do, at least it's a start, an effort.  The significance I got from that is probably not what the movie intended but *grrr* it was pissing me off.

Ok, back to the point.  Annie was bothering me as the movie went on, and I just wasn't liking her anymore.  I was so mad and disgusted with her for always going back to that dickweed guy, especially when her car was being towed and she called him.  Officer Rhodes' reaction to that was perfect.  The look he gave that guy, and then her, perfect.  I was glad she at least eventually got out of the car.  And I love love LOVED when Megan showed up and literally smacked some sense into her.  We all need someone like that now and then, and what she said was so sooo true.  I was cheering her on in that scene even though the rest of the movie she usually had me cringing . . . LOL

I loved Officer Rhodes!  He was so cute and sweet and . . . good.  He was too good for her!  I really liked how his whole part was played, his being smitten with her ("I was kinda thinking about you a little bit lately," or however he said it), his confusion when she left and following that, and his refusal to give in when she tried to come crawling back.  I'm still not sure I like them being together in the end because I just love him and I feel she'll have a tendencies to run or hurt him again.

So yeah, I liked this movie and will probably buy it.  There were parts when we were laughing hysterically, and there were parts where I was crying.  And those life lessons from Megan and Officer CuteGuy couldn't be beat.  I'm glad we finally watched this! 

Have you seen it?  What did you think?

Oct. 12 - Zum (Indigo Wild) Bath & Body Products

Indigo Wild - Zum

I'm all kinds of giddy about this latest haul.  My sister first brought Zum to my attention, oh geez, well over a year ago.  Heck, maybe two years ago??  She'd seen some Zum bars in a shop and sent me one of their brochures.  I think I dismissed them as too commercial or something.  Then I came across Zum products myself somewhere, I'm thinking possibly last November when we were in Minneapolis, possibly when we were looking for Lush in the Macy's store near the hotel . . . ?  Not sure.  Again, I was like 'Oh, Zum, yeah, not interested.'  Well lately, now that I'm not making soap and now that I'm trying to narrow down and control my soap shopping frenzies (ha, yeah right, I know) I've been Googling and searching for goat milk soap shops.  And Zum popped up.

They're goat milk?  Really?  They're all natural?  Really?  What the heck did I have stuck in my head then about them not being worth my time??

I went to their site and looked around.  They remind me of Lush.  Bright and fun and kinda crazy.  I was surprised how many products they have!  Soaps, lotions, lip balms, candles . . . even cleaning products!  There is a 'request catalog' option on their site so I did that, and in the email confirmation they sent a sort of 'thank you' code for a free Zum Bundle with my first order.  When I got my catalog a few days later I wanted to order pretty much everything.  Since I'm not yet familiar with their scents, and since I would be getting the Zum Bundle (which is a pack of sample soaps) I decided to try some other products in this order.

(Oh yeah, and because I have ten bajillion bars of soap here already . . . )

Gentle Facial Toner

I posted recently about going back to a commercial face cleanser for the time being, so when I saw Zum face products I was excited.  Since I'd just recently bought that other cleanser I decided I'd try a toner from here.  This one has lemon and geranium essential oils, among a ton of other natural ingredients and has a very interesting smell.  It's sort of sweet and sort of herbal with just a wee hint of medicinal in the background. 

 Body Lotion

They have lotions too!  While not in the form I would prefer, I had to give it a try.  This one is lavender-lemon scent and although there is no goat milk in it, there is once again a ton of other natural goodies.  The scent seems to be light but I only tried a small dab when I pulled it out of the box.  The consistency is what I like, light and fluffy, not thin and runny, so I just wish it would come in jars instead.  I don't like tubes.

There was a little goodie bag inside my order . . .

 Lip Balm (and free samples)

At first I was super excited, thinking they'd sent me a free lip balm but then I remembered I had indeed ordered it myself.  Doh!  Oh well, they still sent samples!  I love love love it when shops send samples!  The lip balm I ordered is Vanilla and according to the ingredients is a 'vanilla infusion' and also contains honey.  Yummy.  The samples were not labeled at all but from what I can tell by comparing to the catalog, I think the green one is Rosemary-Mint and the speckled one is either Lavender or Patchouli.  (It smells like the Rosemary-Mint one at the moment from being packed together with it.)

 Spiced Almond Mini Bar

I did order one little bar of soap.  This is a mini bar, just 1.5oz, and oh so cute.  I had been looking at their holiday items and this one caught my eye.  It is Spiced Almond scent.  I can't find a scent description on the site but it's an awesome blend of slightly sweet spice and almond, maybe some mint in there . . . ?  I think it's perfect for Christmas.

Zum Bundle

As mentioned, I received a 'thank you' code in my confirmation email when I requested the catalog.  On the site it says the Zum Bundle is 6oz of sample pieces.  The picture on the site shows four pieces.  My bundle had five pieces.  I guess it just depends how heavy the pieces are.  The scents were random . . . I saw no option to choose for myself, and it doesn't look like mine are the same scents as in their site pic.  They come with a cool purple rubber band around the bunch.  The band can probably then be worn as one of those bracelets.  The pieces are not labeled at all so I did some visual comparisons to the catalog and think I know what they are.

The top left speckled one is either Lavender or Patchouli.  I can't tell from the pics and the scent is sort of blended with everything else in the bundle.  The top center with green chunks in it is Lime-Basil.  The top right purple swirl is probably Frankincense-Lavender.  Lower left green swirl is Lemongrass.  And the lower right red speckled one is Patchouli-Orange.

They also sent another catalog, and a handy fold out quick reference poster of all 31 of the bar soaps in their regular line.  Very cool.  Shipping was quick . . . ordered Friday afternoon, had a holiday/no mail on Monday, and received my order today/Wednesday.  

Indigo Wild is located in Missouri, and they support several cancer and dog related causes.  There is a Betsy bar soap and lotion in honor of one of their staff who has battled cancer, with a portion of proceeds donated to Turning Point.  They have doggie products, with part of the bar soap proceeds going to a Sheltie rescue program.  They have baby products, a sports line, products for men, gift packs, and other fun things.

I did notice, as I was writing this post, that it says on their label 'goat milk base' and I thought 'Aha!  That's why I shunned them!  It's freakin' melt-n-pour!'  But when I went to the site to check on this I found that they do indeed make cold process soap.  I'm really excited now!  Even though the things are a bit pricier than I'd prefer, I read something about it being cheaper if you can find them in a shop near you.  I just need to find them locally now . . . lol  (I didn't see a store locator on their site so I emailed them just before writing this post, but haven't heard back yet.)  I'm hoping I like all these products because I'm happy that I can get the products I've been looking for all in one shop.

Like I said, these guys remind me of Lush.  I can't believe there are barely any videos on YouTube or blog posts about their products.  Am I just not finding them?  If you've tried Zum products, I'd love to hear about it!

Oct. 12 - Wood Wick Candle

I first heard about wooden wick candles some time ago but just haven't seen any available around me.  A few shops on Etsy sell them but the price seemed so high.  I emailed Candles By Victoria, asking if they ever did any, and was told they tried them long ago but feel they are unsafe and no longer offer them.  I noticed some in an LTD Commodities catalog and marked the page but just never ordered.  And then finally one day I saw some at Walmart, in fall scents no less!  I grabbed one immediately.

I'm almost always disappointed in candles because I just can't smell them unless my face is practically shoved right into it.  That's why I prefer tarts, the throw being so much stronger.  Candles By Victoria has been the exception so far.  I can always smell candles from them, usually throughout the whole dang house.  Woot!  So, buying this wood wick cheapie candle from Walmart, I didn't have high expectations but I was ok with that because it was the wick I was curious about.  I'd heard they make a quiet cackling sound, just like real logs on a fire.

We burned this candle for the first time a couple nights ago.  It's in Pumpkin Pie scent, and it's orange, very appropriate for mid-October.  I didn't notice the crackling sound right away but Minion did.  He was drawn to it like a moth to a light.  He was fascinated.  He stayed back because of the heat but he sat there and studied, tipping his head and listening for a long time.  Once I finally noticed the sound I thought it was so cool.  We all got a kick out of it.

There is a slightly larger flame in this candle.  Makes sense because the wick itself is so much bigger.  But it never gets huge or out of control.  We saw no bits of floating cinders or anything.  The candle burns beautiful, even and steady, with that soft crackling sound.  And I was even pleasantly surprised to find that I could actually smell it throughout our large living room and even into the dining room!  It's not overpowering, and it took someone walking by (stirring up the air) for me to first notice it but it was lovely after that, just enough to know it was there.

This is an eight ounce Wonderful Wick brand jar candle, and was somewhere around $8.00 at Walmart.  It was a nice little find, and an affordable alternative to the common high priced big name brands.

(UPDATE - Oct. 17 - I was just at Walmart and noticed the small size that I have is $5.92 and there is a larger size that costs $8.92.  They were on an end display and there were six or seven scents that I saw.)

If you've tried wooden wick candles, I'd love to hear what you thought of them.

Oct. 11 - Minion Update

Picked up Minion a little while ago and they said he did fine.  He also had the last of the shots he needed, so he's all set until next year.  Anyway, I looked in the carrier when they brought him out to me and did a double take.  When I realized what I was seeing I was all "Awwww, he's dressed up for Halloween!"  The vet girl laughed and said "Well yeeeah, he IS a black kitty."

They gave him a spooktacularly cute bandana!

How flippin' cute is that??

As for how he's doing, he's more ambitious than he is coordinated right now.  He's trying to move around and be his normal self but his dopey condition is not allowing that.  It's quite humorous and sad all at once.  I was torn between trying to get that on video, or getting a picture of the bandana.  LOL!  And every few minutes he pauses for a breather and moment of rest and look of . . . 

"I'm heavily medicated and I've lost my balls.  How was YOUR day?"

Oct. 11 - Minion's Big Day

I feel so bad today.  My baby is at the vet right now, being neutered.  I know it's the right thing to do, and we've had all of our pets spayed or neutered so it's nothing new to me but it still feels weird today.  He couldn't have food or water after 10pm last night, so that meant our other cat had to go without too.  Our morning routine is that they each get a bit of smelly wet canned food after I get out of the shower.  Not only were they starving and thirsty this morning, but when I came out of the bathroom they were dancing around thinking they'd at least be getting their canned food treat . . . but BadMommy had to deny them even that.

Minion was sleeping a bit later when I packed him into the kitty carrier.  He gave me that 'What did I do?' look, and continued to do it all the way to the vet.  Then they made me carry him to the back and put him in the big kennel, and I couldn't even look at him cuz he was all 'Moooooommmmmyyyyyyyy . . . '

Then they go over the usual paperwork and they mention all the horrible things that could possibly go wrong, and even though I know these things rarely happen and I've been through this many times, today it all bothered me.  And still does.  His procedure was over an hour ago and I've had no emergency call from the vet so I'm sure it went fine ( *knock wood* ) but still . . . ugh.

On the other hand, Lynx is savoring every moment of peace this day is bringing him.  He got a big helping of the smelly canned food.  He's been able to run around the house without being chased.  He was even playing with the toys he usually doesn't get a chance to touch because his bratty little brother hogs them all.  And now he's sleeping without fear on the back of the couch.  At least HE is happy today.  LOL

Oct. 7 - The Secrect Circle (TV, book)

The Secret Circle
CW channel, Thursdays, 8pm/central

Several weeks ago at work a coworker noticed an article in the newspaper about a new show that would be starting soon.  She told me about it and we agreed it sounded like it was worth checking out.  Basically, girl moves to a new town, starts at a new school, and has no idea she's a witch until a group of kids at this school (who are also witches) figure it out and try to get her to join them.  It reminded both of us of The Craft, a movie I love, and Sweep, a book series that I love.   

The following week was the show's premiere but by the time I got home from work that night I was tired and hungry and didn't bother watching.  My coworker recorded it but hadn't watched it that night.  I wasn't upset that I'd missed it and apparently she'd gotten over the excitement before it started too . . . lol

The second week, I made a point of at least watching the start of the episode, to see what I thought.  I made it through maybe ten minutes and gave up, and decided I'd wait for the season to be finished and then Netflix the whole set.  The show seemed kinda cheesy to me.  I was quickly put off by the fact all the girls are prancing around school like half dressed hookers.  And then there was a scene where HotGuy is trying to teach/explain the powers to NewGirl, and he's being all over-dramatic and, as I said before, cheesy and they try to light a light bulb using her power.  That's where I gave up.  One thing I had noticed in the little bit I watched was 'Ha, dude wearing makeup.  Sheri would love that.'  But then I never mentioned it to her (my sister).

Somewhere between the first and second weeks my coworker had finally watched the first episode and raved to me "OMG!  I *LOVE* this show!  It's my absolute new favorite!"  I had chuckled at her enthusiasm, but it hadn't really encouraged me in wanting to see it myself.  After seeing that small amount of the second episode, I happened to come across The Secret Circle book in Walmart.  I laughed and at first passed it by, then reconsidered and went back to have a better look.  Read the back, flipped through and read a few bits here and there, noticed the cover art was the cast of the show . . . and decided to get it.  I thought I'd read it quickly and quietly and then show my coworker, and get a little giggle out of it.  (That reading plan hasn't worked out so well because I've been busy and barely able to read anything lately.  *sigh*)

The third week of the show I didn't even bother with it because A) I now had the book to read and B) I was content to wait for the full set from Netflix down the road.  One funny thing I noticed about the book is that it originally came out in 1992.  1992?!  That is like, ancient.  Heck, Sweep started in 2001 and Twilight started in 2005!  So while a lot of people are rolling their eyes with thoughts of "Wonderful, another magic craze," this one actually came way before.  Huh, interesting.  So anyway, as I was reading the book I couldn't believe it was anything like the little bit I knew about the show.  I wondered if they'd changed so much for TV that it wasn't really like this book anymore, and that was starting to bum me out.

So last night was the fourth episode and I hadn't planned on watching it but for once I was vegging on the couch without tons of other things calling to me and distracting me.  Hubby went to bed early and I wasn't tired yet so I decided to give the show another shot.  I wanted to at least see if the names were the same as in the book, heh.  Once again I was totally put off by the way these high school girls are presented as half dressed whores.  Do schools even allow that?  Are there no shows any more that present teenage girls as . . . teenage girls?  I understand shows need to be all about the pretty people, and glitz and glam and drama, but wow.  I guess I've been away from TV too long and/or I've finally become old in my views.

Anyway, even though the manner of dress (or lack there of) bothered me, and the way teen sex is flaunted bothered me, I let it go.  I even managed to let some of the other cheesy factors go and actually found myself getting into the show.  And HotGuyWearingMakeup . . . wow, really digging him.  I found myself thinking 'Damn, HE should have been Edward Cullen,' because he's much closer to my vision of Edward from reading the book than Rob Pattinson ever could be.  Actually, I debated between him being Edward in Twilight or Cal in Sweep, but I think I started reading Twilight with my vision of Cal still lingering in my head, thus making Edward similar in my mind.  lol

I've tried to find a good enough picture of HotGuyWearingMakeup but nothing I've found does him justice.  You have to see him in the show for the full effect.  But here's a pic anyway . . . 

I'm kinda kicking myself now for not seeing the first three episodes.  I think I might be able to get into this now that I've sort of lowered my expectations a bit.  And I think I might even try to find those episodes online and get caught up that way, even though I don't like watching shows on a computer screen.

Now I'm curious . . . anyone else out there watching this show?

Oct. 2 - September Favorites

I didn't decide until yesterday that I wanted to start doing a monthly favorites post like I see so many others do, so I'm ill prepared.  Maybe I should just wait and make October Favorites my first of this type since I'll be more aware of things I'm digging during the month.  Naaahhh, I'm going to whip one up for September anyway.

In September I was loving . . .

Kelley Country Creamery 

I love this place, period, but as fall creeps in my urge to go there is stronger because that's when I first went.  So the urge had been back and then hubby surprised me last week with that little spur of the moment date.

Handcrafted Bath & Body Products 

Still not regretting giving up my own soap making because I am loving buying from everyone else sooo much.  Especially with all the fall scents that are out now!

Sims Medieval  

I used to be much more of a gamer geek than I have been the last couple years.  One of the things I'm doing with my reclaimed free time is puttering around with games.  I've never gotten into Sims.  Ty and Casey have played here and there along the way, and more recently several people on my Facebook friends list have been playing that version of Sims so I gave it a try.  Ty had joked many times that he was going to buy me the medieval version because I like medieval stuff and because I like decorating things in games.  So one day, yep, he bought it for me.  At first I didn't like it, thought it was mindless, and didn't bother with the decorating.  Then I started paying attention a bit more and actually tried learning the game, and was sucked in like crazy.  They say this is different than the previous Sims but I'm not sure how.  There are quests and things in this one, and not in the others?  Not sure.

It was so much fun once I got over my frustrated whining.  My original character . . . the queen . . . turned out to be a slut.  My second character was a manwhore and was killed for failing his responsibilities.  And then I got more serious about it.  But  now I've found it's too much of a time suck and I can't even turn it on unless I have absolutely nothing else to do because if I'm playing while making supper, supper will end up burned.  If I'm playing while doing laundry, switching loads will be delayed for extreme amounts of time.  LOL

Minion 

Even though he is naughty beyond belief and we probably won't decorate for any holidays for the next year at least and I often regret bringing him into the house that day . . . I love this kitty to bits.  He is the weirdest little thing!  I swear, I have never had a cat like this and I've had cats pretty much my whole life.  He prances when he trots or runs.  He will flop over backwards (backbend style) in your arms if you're holding him.  He hates water, especially on his feet, but is fascinated by it and absolutely has to be right there to watch you wash dishes or watch the washing machine fill up.  Seriously, he will pace and cry frantically until you pick him up to watch.  And he has one toy that he cherishes . . . a ratty orange fish that he will carry around like a dead mouse, even bring it to bed with him.  If he's being hyper and naughty and needs distraction, we throw the fish toy and he's occupied for probably an hour, enough to give everyone a bit of peace.

Those are my vague September faves.  What were some of yours?