Nov. 27 - Holiday Treats

Peppermint Bark Snowflakes

I first saw these fun and easy holiday treats in BentleyBlonde's video (HERE) and she mentioned seeing it on Pinterest.  When I saw the video I knew I'd be making some this holiday season.  She said she was using a silicone mold found at Target so that's where I checked and sure enough, it was right there in the cheap stuff section when you first walk in the door.  It was only $2.50, so it is a thinner, flimsier mold than I used to have for my soap making, but for this it seems to work just fine.  If you can't find this at your local Target, I'm sure any other silicone mold would work.  This recipe made six snowflakes about 2.5" wide.

What you'll need . . . 

~ 1 cup brown chocolate (dark or milk, it's up to you)

~ 1 cup white chocolate

~ crushed peppermint candies or candy canes

~ peppermint extract ***

~ 2 tsp. vegetable oil

~ snowflake silicone mold

What to do . . . 

~ Crush several candy canes into very small bits and powder.  I crushed six regular candy canes and that will be enough for several batches.  I put them in a ziplock bag and pounded with them with a meat tenderizer.  This worked great but it left fine holes in the bag and peppermint dust on the counter.

~ Pour one cup of brown chocolate into a microwave safe bowl.  I used regular dark chocolate chips.  Microwave about 30 seconds at a time, stir, repeat until the chocolate is melted and can be stirred easily.

~ Add one teaspoon vegetable oil to the melted chocolate and mix well.

~ Add 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract to melted chocolate and mix well.

~ Spoon melted chocolate into snowflake molds, dividing equally.  It won't look like much in the molds.  Gently shake the mold around a bit to get the chocolate spread into all areas.  Gently tap the mold on the counter to remove any air bubbles under the chocolate, and to get it into all the grooves and designs.

~ Sprinkle some of the crushed candy cane bits/powder onto the chocolate.  It's up to you how much you want to add.

~ Place mold in the freezer until the chocolate hardens, about 10-15 minutes, then remove it and continue with the next layer.

~ Repeat all steps but this time with the white chocolate.  (Melt, stir, add oil, add extract, spoon into mold on top of brown chocolate, sprinkle with candy bits, freeze.)

~ When chocolate has hardened (about 15 minutes) remove mold from freezer, and you will now unmold the snowflakes.  Gently pull the sides away from each flake to make removal easier.  Working with one flake at a time, sort of pull the silicone down and push up with a finger from underneath, so you are turning that mold cavity inside out.  The snowflake will peel away from the silicone as you do this.  Set the removed flake aside, and repeat the process on the next, until you have them all removed.  Let your cute little holiday treats return to room temperature . . . and enjoy!

***Original recipe called for 1/4 tsp. peppermint extract in the brown chocolate AND 1/4 tsp. in the white chocolate.  If you feel this might be too strong, eliminate adding it to one layer.  I did not add it to the brown layer, and I cut back what I added to the white layer.  I couldn't really smell it in the finished candy but people told me it was near perfect, light mint.

These would be so cute in little holiday cello treat bags and tied to gifts or as stocking stuffers,  Bundle a couple together and give to teachers, mail carriers, babysitters, etc.  Place one on each plate at a family holiday meal.  Possibilities are endless with these little cuties!

I've been trying to think of variations to the recipe.  How about an all white flake with a red food coloring swirl?  How about an all brown chocolate flake with bits of nuts mixed in?  These really are so easy and quick to make.  I did one batch just to see how it would go, and I'm sure I will be doing more as Christmas approaches.

Can you think of any other variations?  Will you making some?

Nov. 27 - Minnesota Vikings Trip 2011

For the third year in a row, hubby and I have taken a November weekend trip to Minneapolis to see a Minnesota Vikings game.  Yeah, we live in Wisconsin . . . but we are Vikings fans and have been for years.  This year the game we saw was against the Oakland Raiders, and that was funny to me because I *used* to be a Raiders fan back in the '80s.  I'm not sure when *I* settled in as a Vikings fan but hubby has been since we got together.  He was not into football at all before that so when he started favoring one team it was the Vikings because of his Scandinavian ancestry.

Anyway . . .

We tried to find a home game that was on a weekend I wasn't working but that just wasn't working out.  Then we started looking at what games were in November because that's just become our traditional travel month for some reason.  In our two previous trips we had seen them play the Bears and the Cardinals.  The cost of Packer tickets . . . even playing in Minnesota . . . was sky high.  So when I saw they were playing the Raiders I knew that had to be the one.  Not only because they used to be my team, but because one of the supervisors at my workplace is a huge Raiders fan and I figured he'd be going.  One things we've thought would make these trips better was if there was someone else there that we knew.  So this was the game we chose.

I'd been keeping an eye on the weather forecast for Minneapolis and was not thrilled to see it was supposed to be cold and rainy and even snowy.  The previous two years we'd lucked out with decent weather, which made walking around the city and waiting in line outside the dome nice.  It didn't look like we'd be so lucky this time.  We packed our heavy jackets and gloves in the truck just in case, even though it was quite warm and dry when we left here last Saturday morning.

We had stopped at one Fleet Farm about halfway to Minnesota, hoping they'd have a mix of Packer and Viking things but no, we must have still been too deep in cheese country.  At that stop I think the weather was just starting to get rainy.  So then we stopped at another Fleet Farm closer to the WI/MN border and found a fair selection of Viking shirts and things.  Weather at this point was turning to a sleet-snow mix, and was getting windy.  We ended up going back in and buying several sandbags for the back of hubby's truck just in case conditions got worse.

And they did.  The farther into Minnesota we got, the worse it became.  Most of it was slick and sloppy sleet snow mix, until we got right around St. Paul/Minneapolis, where it was finally plain ol' snow.  Visibility sucked.  We saw several cars off the road or sliding around during lane changes.  Travel speeds that are normally around 75mph or more on this freeway were down to maybe 40 or so a lot of times.  I was pretty much white knuckled and near cardiac arrest by the time we pulled into the hotel parking lot.  Gah!!

We stayed at the Normandy again.  This was the view from one window of our room.  Another window had a view of the pool area.  It was a step up from our view last year of the walls of the neighboring building.

We love this place . . . except for the highly overpriced meals, but I guess you'll have that anywhere you stay in the big city.  This is looking down one of the hallways.

One of the sitting areas in the front lobby, looking out over the busy city streets.

After we were checked into the hotel and had a few minutes to recover from the snowstorm drive, we hopped back into the truck and managed to find our way to the American Swedish Institute, which was about a mile away from our hotel.  I had seen online that this place was hosting a Nordic Christmas Fair.  We talk every year about finding more things to do while we're in Minneapolis, instead of just sitting in our room and going to the game, so this seemed perfect.

We had no idea what to expect of this place.  As we approached, I was in love.  Anyone who knows me knows I'm all about castles, and this is about as close to one as we're going to get in the US!  I would have loved to get more pictures outside but the weather was still cold and windy with icy little snow bits pelting us in the face.

(I'll take a moment here to let you know that you can see tons more pics from this museum and this trip if you go to the photo album I made . . . HERE.  Hope you check it out.  I love comments!)

As soon as we were in the main room our jaws dropped in awe.  So much beautiful woodwork, and everything decorated for Christmas.  Oohhhhhhh my gosh.  Please have a look at that photo album linked above because there are tons more pics than what I'm posting here.

Each Nordic country had its own room.  There were displays that are part of the permanent museum, traditional items from each land, and the rooms were also decorated for Christmas.  Soooo gorgeous.

This is just a smidgen of the things we saw . . .

The place had just recently re-opened and is still in the process of a construction project.  I'm not sure what is all being done but it seemed like some of these gorgeous old rooms were cheapened by being nearly empty and having kids run amok.  Maybe it was just for this event that there cheap tables scattered around and activities for kids.  Some of those 'incomplete' rooms could have been closed off because it just sort of took away from the awe factor of the rest of the place.  We still loved it overall though.

We made it back to the hotel after getting a bit lost for a couple minutes.  Doh!  Then we decided to walk the several blocks down to the shopping area not far from the hotel.  Each year we have stopped at Barnes & Noble, but this is the first time we didn't buy anything.  We'd hoped to get the newest Piers Anthony book in the Xanth series but found out it wasn't coming out till the following week.  That happened to us last year too!

We walked over to Macy's to go to the LUSH shop inside.  I needed to get a couple things for a Secret Santa thing I'm in.  Plus it's always fun to just go there.  There is no LUSH shop anywhere close to me otherwise.

And then we went to Target to look at their Vikings selection and to look for some small Christmas presents that I hadn't been able to find around here.  Then it was back to the hotel, where we went down for an overpriced meal, then settled into our room for the night.

One thing about this trip is that hubby had a brand new Vikings 'hat' he was dying to wear to the game.  I had found this item on Etsy, in a shop called Legendary Crafts.  I laughed and showed hubby and he HAD to have it.  Through some messaging back and forth with the creator, she agreed to customize it slightly to fit the Minnesota Vikings look hubby wanted.  Hubby was giggling like a little kid when he finally received it.  I was dying of embarrassment.  LOL

So the morning of the game he was obviously raring to go.  Unfortunately, it was still freakin' cold and having to wear his big winter jacket ruined the effect until we got inside and he could take it off.  But yeah, this thing got SOOOO many comments and compliments, so many people asking to take his pic, and even some asking to take pics WITH him.  It was quite funny, I'll admit.  And just what is it that drew so much attention?

Yep, this huge yarn beard and hat with horns.  LOL!

He got his pic taken with the Vikings mascot, Viktor.

He got his pic taken with this girl who was done up in a full body Viking-ette outfit.  She even had furry boots.  SHE approached hubby and asked for the pic.

My Raider fan coworker found us before the game and of course we had to get a group shot.

As for the game itself . . . 

 

 We had new seats this year . . . first row, upper deck, on the visitor sideline.  These seats were awesome, well worth the splurge.

To the left is the huge inflatable Viking ship that becomes the entrance tunnel for the Vikings.  To the right is the horn that signals it's game time.

Here come the Vikings!

Hard to see in the pic but there is a motorcycle near the center.  Paul Jr, formerly of American Choppers, had built this bike for Adrian Peterson's charity and was actually there to ride it onto the field.  We were surprised by this.  It was kinda cool!

The Vikings Skol Drumline.  LOVE these guys!!

Random game action.

The flag dudes do a lap every time the Vikings score a touchdown.

It was Salute To The Military Day at the game, so there were a lot of activities related to that, including an emotional reunion that you can see . . . HERE.

We lost, but expected that since we suck so much this season.  LOL  To be fair, they were making a comeback in the fourth quarter but just ran out of time.  It was funny to see the mass exodus not even halfway into that quarter, only to have them start scoring again.  Too little too late though.  Oh well.

Hubby and I at the game.  

We ended up with two guys from Raider Nation North sitting next to us.  (It's like a fan club sort of thing.)  They were very  nice though and it was fun to tease back and forth with someone who didn't get angry or nasty.  They kept apologizing to us for a very vocal guy several rows behind us, saying "We're not with him."  But really, that other guy wasn't bad.  He was quite humorous in his devotion to his team.

After the game, we went back to the hotel to munch some munchies we had in our room and try to decide what to do with the rest of our day.  We weren't leaving until the next morning because I don't want us to be traveling at night.  We ended up walking back to Target to kill some time and buy some food so we could avoid the overpriced breakfast option in the morning.  It was quite funny . . . we ended up buying a whole pack of plastic forks/spoons/knives just to have two forks to eat our microwave food with.  There was nothing to use in the room.  I've already made a note for next year: pack utensils.  LOL!!!

I realized the next morning that I hadn't taken any pics out and about around the city, like I usually do.  The crappy weather had been part of the reason.  So after we checked out I snapped this pic just to have one of the big city.  Then we hopped in the truck and headed for home.

 

Random snowy scenery on our way home.  By the time we got closer to our home area the ground was back to green and dry again.  Funny.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed my little trip.  And I really hope you check out the rest of the pictures in that album I linked to earlier in this post.

Do you have any trips planned?  Anyplace special you tend to return to?  Or maybe someplace you've just recently returned from?  I'd love to hear about it!

Nov. 26 - Bath & Body Works Haul

I really didn't need to go to Bath & Body Works.  I rarely go there, and I certainly don't NEED any more body products OR home fragrances, but now that we've shifted into full holiday mode there is just something FUN about it all.  Ok, well, to be honest I went there with a purpose but it backfired.

I had been watching Ellie's video last night, her B&BW Black Friday haul, and she had mentioned not being able to get Twisted Peppermint in any body products.  At the time I took that as her store just didn't have any, so I was all 'Ooooooh, I'm going to check MY store and I'll surprise her!'  I knew that scent was only going to be out for one week, and I thought this was the week.  But noooo, it's next week.  DOH!  So then I thought back and figured duh, that's probably what she meant anyway.

Ok fine, so I'm already in the store and the always pushy and perky B&BW storegirl was hovering, trying to make up for that lack of Twisted Peppermint.  I glanced around and asked where the mini candles were, the little preview sized ones for the holidays.  She said "Oohhh, we don't have those anymore.  They're not going to make them anymore because they say they're unsafe."  We looked at each other with looks of 'Unsafe?  Really?'  Well that sucks regardless, and now I'm 0 for 2 in my shopping. 

"Well this is just not my day, is it?"  I sigh, and am met with a perky laugh and apology.

So she took me to the regular holiday candles and starts shoving various ones in my face.  I asked if there was any sale on the 4oz size.  She said no, and we laughed again at my rotten luck.  She explained that the little candles are $9.95 (I think?) but since there is a special on the large candles, 2 for $20, it would be silly to pay the price of the small one when you can get the bigger for five cents more.  I showed her my coupons and she pointed out that after the first two candles, any after that would be $10 each, and since one coupon was $10 off a $30 purchase it would be like getting one candle free.  HMMMM!!

My other coupon was a free item with any $10 purchase.  She thought I would need to make and additional $10 purchase.  I had thought it would still work with my original $30 purchase but I didn't push the issue, and just grabbed a fourth candle.

So what did I get?
Twisted Peppermint large candle - 'A refreshing mix of spearmint and mandarin, layered with iced peppermint, vanilla extract and sugar musk.'  Love this scent!  Perfect for Christmas, with the cool mint softened by the vanilla.  I don't really pick up the mandarin or the musk.  It's just a really, really nice scent.

'Tis The Season large candle - 'Golden apples, pine needles and holiday cider are combined with a touch of ground cinnamon.'  When I smelled this in the store I was immediately in love.  The perfect Christmas scent!  Once I got home I found it wasn't *quite* as good as in the store but it's still awesome.  It seemed more piney in the store, but now I smell more of the spice.  I get a slight hint of the apples and cider but it's mainly the cinnamon and pine that comes out when you sniff it.  Can't wait to get our tree up, house decorated, and start burning this one.

Sticky Toffee Pudding large candle - 'A rich, tempting treat that combines melted toffee, pure maple syrup and toasted pecans, topped with brown sugar and whipped cream.'  This one is a direct result of Ellie's video because I don't think I would have looked in this section of candles otherwise.  This one is also right up my ooey gooey foodie scented alley.  YUMMM!  The toffee and maple are right there, and it's creamy, and warm, and comforting.  It reminds me of the Butterscotch Maple Cream tarts from Better Homes & Gardens that I love so much.

This candle was a winner in the My Candle Recipe Contest that I knew nothing about.  Apparently people were invited to send in their favorite recipes and the top three that they were able to turn into candle scents were the winners.  They have a special label on the cover of the candle, and if you peel that label back you get the actual recipe for that candle's scent.  Kinda cool!

Hot Buttered Rum large candle - 'Rich and delicious, a comforting blend of spiced rum and warm caramel, with a touch of vanilla bourbon.'  I tried to get this one last year, sort of my first taste of the Bath & Body Works world, but it was apparently one of the hot ones because it was sold out every time I checked.  It must be old news this year . . . there were plenty of them on the shelf!  So I grabbed one.  It's another of my warm ooey gooey scents, a bit heavier on the caramel and vanilla than on the rum.  Other buttered rum scents I've come across have a bit more, I don't know, rum-i-ness to them.  This is still very nice though!

And for my free item I chose a bottle of Winter Candy Apple shower gel to go with the lotion I already had.  'Our exclusive Winter Candy Apple is a mouth watering blend of crisp apple, candied orange and rich cinnamon spice.'  This is a bright, sweet, fun scent.  Yeah, it does smell like candy but there is just enough of the cinnamon to keep it from total tooth decay.  Even hubby and Ty liked this one when I shoved it in their faces.  And it will be fun to switch to this for the holiday season, and let hubby work through the stockpile of handcrafted soaps we have.  Hehe!

There a some good deals going on now but you have to hurry, most are only through this weekend.  It's a bummer I don't have more people to Christmas shop for because I would love to go shopping again!  LOL

I also got three more of the $10 off a $30 purchase coupons, AND a survey coupon on my receipt.  Woohoo!  Bummer again that I probably won't get to use them.  *sigh*

Have you treated yourself to Bath & Body Works lately?  What did you get?  What are your favorites?

Nov. 25 - Giveaway #2 !!

GIVEAWAY #2 !!!!!

Yep, another giveaway and the first one isn't even done yet.  WOOT!  This time I'm giving away six scent shots (tarts) from Candles By Victoria.  These are approximately 2oz each, and I usually cut them and just melt half at a time.  I've heard other people just use 1/4 size pieces, but as you know my rooms are large and I like my scents strong.

If you're interested in Candles By Victoria but haven't ordered yet . . . the amount of scents and candle styles available is overwhelming! . . . scent shots are the way to go.  Pick some scents you want to try, and if you like them you can go back and order it again candle form.  It's a good way to test the waters.  And I'm giving someone SIX of them!  The winner will pick three from the list I will provide at the time, and I will pick the other three for a bit of fun surprise.

Keeping it simple again, because I don't like those contests where you have to complete several steps just to enter.  Just leave a comment below about . . . hmm, your favorite scent.  Do you love the scent of lilac because it reminds you of the huge lilac bush in the backyard of your childhood home?  Do you love coconut scents because you dream of a tropical getaway?  Ooooh, or comment about your least favorite scent!  That could be fun too!

This contest will run from now (7:15am/central, Nov. 25) to sometime in the morning of Dec. 2.  I will choose one winner from all the qualifying comments using random.org.  Please leave an email address if I have no way to contact you through your profile.  Thanks!

GOOD LUCK!!!

Nov. 24 - Happy Thanksgiving!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

(This blogger's family gathering, 2009)

Is anyone else having trouble believing that we have arrived at Thanksgiving already? Where has this year gone?? Well for me, I blame a lot of this lost time on my dorky work schedule. I work 12hr shifts, two days on/two days off, and every other weekend is either three days on or off. Days that I work I pretty much don't do anything else, so those days don't really seem to exist as far as 'life' goes, and that makes time seem to fly by that much faster. And it sucks.

But whatever.

Thanksgiving had been gaining popularity with my for the last several years, about to overtake Christmas as my absolute favorite holiday. Thanksgiving just always seemed much more laid back. We would all get together for the day but there was not the stress of everything involved with Christmas. With Thanksgiving there are way fewer decorations, no crazy shopping, but you still get a fabulous meal and you have a casual day of hanging out with whoever it is you choose to hang out with. It was like the last bit of calm before the chaos of Christmas.

The last couple years I don't even have that fondness for Thanksgiving anymore. Things have become rushed with everyone seeming to have somewhere else to be . . . drop in for a plate of food and a bit of chitchat and then it's off to the next place. Kids are grown and starting lives of their own. I've grown so distant from my own family, barely see them throughout the year, that it's almost like sitting awkwardly in a house full of strangers. Sadly, this day does not hold the warmth and excitement that it used to for me.

But I will make the Cherry Crisp and grab the Cool Whip and we will troop over to my brother's house later today, and we'll see how it goes. 

Wherever you are and whatever you're doing today, I hope it's a warm and cozy kind of day for you.  Watch some Macy's parade, watch the Packers suffer their first loss of the season, eat some turkey . . . and draw one last deep breath before hitting those sales in the middle of the night!

Nov. 23 - GIVEAWAY!!!

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

Everybody loves a giveaway, right?  I've been delaying this for some time now, waiting to hit 25 followers, but since I seem to be stuck at 20 I figured I'd go ahead and do it as a holiday event instead.  Yay!

The winner of this first giveaway (and there will be more) will receive three packs of the Better Homes & Gardens wax cube tarts that can be found at Walmart, and that I've been raving about lately.  The winner will choose one scent from a list I will provide at that time, and I will choose two others.

This contest will from now (12:30pm/central Nov. 23) through sometime in the morning of Thursday, Dec. 1.  I will use random.org to pick one winner from the qualifying entries.

How do you enter?  I'll keep it simple.  Just leave a comment below about anything holiday related, whatever winter holiday it is that you celebrate.  It can be a favorite memory, family tradition, anything!  Please enter only once.  And please leave an email addy for me to contact you if you don't have one connected to your account.  'Enter Me' comments will not be counted.  Open internationally.

So that's it!  Just leave a holiday themed comment below and you might win three packs of tarts.

GOOD LUCK!!

Nov. 22 - My First Eco-Emi Box!!

Earlier this year I signed up for Birchbox, which is a monthly subscription box of beauty and skin care products samples.  I'd seen several YouTubers having so much fun with it and even though I'm not a girlie girl who gets into makeup and all that stuff, I thought it would be a fun way to just play around with some things.  I cancelled my subscription after only a few boxes because I was finding most of the stuff I was receiving was just not stuff I would ever even try.  It was disappointing, yeah, but I liked the idea of getting a box of goodies every month so I went on the hunt for similar programs and found Eco-Emi.

Eco-Emi is similar in that you get a box of random samples each month but Eco-Emi is an eco-friendly program.  The products they send are all earth friendly or organic or fair trade, etc.  The monthly fee is a bit more than Birchbox, but you get more products and it is not all beauty and skin care products.  I watched some YouTube videos and saw everything from bath and body products to food, tea, snacks to makeup to candles.  I decided to give it a try.  When I signed up there was a waiting list, but a couple weeks later they were able to expand things enough to get rid of the waiting list and my first box was the November box.

So let's see what I got!

It arrives in a typical small flat rate box.  I had seen some reviews of the October box and info in that one had said the November and December boxes would be holiday themed, so I was super excited to see this!

Inside the box I saw lot of greens and reds and most of the items appeared to have come in a handy zipper pouch.

There is an info card, just like Birchbox has.  It tells a bit about the theme of the month's box, and then has info about the products, including the prices of the full sized items.

You also get extra cards or pamphlets from the companies themselves.  Most, if not all, have coupon codes for their products if you should choose to order more. 

As mentioned, this month everything came in this handy zipper pouch.  This would have been great over the weekend for our trip to Minneapolis.  It's travel sized, good for putting your makeup or whatnot in.  Looking through the info cards and things, it looks like this is a product from Hugo Naturals.

And these are the things out of the pouch.  Most of the items are wrapped up like fun little gifts.  I couldn't wait to tear into them!

First up is a 2oz bottle of 'essential mist' from Hugo Naturals, in Vanilla & Sweet Orange scent.  The info card says you can use this anywhere you want to freshen things up . . . on your body, in your hair, as a room spray, anywhere.  I haven't actually used it yet but I did open the bottle to sniff it and OMG, love love love it!  It's like a creamsicle, with the light sweet orange and the creamy warm vanilla.  I love this Eco-Emi box just for this!!

Keeki Pure & Simple lip shimmer in 'Ooh La La' is another item in this box.  I'm all about lip balms but I've never really worn any color on my lips.  This is a reddish brown, and the info card says it adds both color and shimmer, and is infused with vanilla and peppermint oils.  Awesome!  I'm not sure if I will try this or pass it on to someone who already appreciates lip color.  I do have some holiday swaps coming up, hehe.

Samples of shampoo and conditioner from Organic Excellence, in Wild Mint scent were also included.  I'm so low maintenance that I usually use whatever 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner I can find.  Actually, I would be more likely to use separate shampoo and conditioner but the menfolk would only use the shampoo because two steps is beyond them.  *snort*  These will be a nice little treat for me to try.  They smell so nice, a sweet minty smell.

Left to right: Planet Botanicals hand cream, Earth's Beauty eye shadow, Blissoma clarifying face mask.

The hand cream is Ugandan shea butter in a lavender scent.  I'm not usually a fan of lavender scents but this one is sort of sweet and more 'pretty' than those I usually come across.  It's a thick cream, but I haven't actually tried it yet.  It's just a tiny little sample.

The eye shadow is a loose powder in 'Sunlight' color, which the website describes as a 'pearlized gold.'  It has more gold shimmer than the pictures are showing.  This will probably also be passed on to someone else.

The face mask is a 'Clay Renewal Treatment' made with clays from Morroco, and a bunch of other interesting goodies.  It looks rather oily and slimy but it has a very pleasant smell. 

The green and white card is from Soul Flower and includes the little blue pin in the upper left corner.  The red and white packet is a peppermint foot cream from Deep Steep.

And finally . . . chocolate!!  It is a dark chocolate Yumbar from Sweet Riot, and I can't wait to dive into this one!  Ohhhhh wait, I just noticed on the package that it also has raisins.  Bleah, not fond of raisins in my chocolate.  But yay for including chocolate!

Not bad for my first Eco-Emi box.  I like that there is a mix of products in here, and they are products I will actually use.  Well, most of them . . . hehe.

What do you think about Eco-Emi?