Deleting the naughty...with So What Saturday

Here are this week's excuses:
- I have had a nagging headache at the base of my skull for 3 days. I was, and am, stressed so I took a hot bath. Unfortunately, I don't have an amazing larger than life soaking tub so my neck was turned funny. I want a huge tub.

-I am having an open house on Sunday. This place needs to sell. Ugh.  I have nothing but cleaning and vacuuming to do today and I'm not happy about it. Just keep plugging away I guess.

-Easter is coming! Have I had a conversation with the Easter bunny yet? No.  And I need to. It seems that my children remember last year vividly. The cousins were in town. They were staying at our house. The Easter bunny gave them big huge baskets with lots of stuff.  They got an ice cream bucket with a few treats and a couple toys.  They don't understand why the Easter bunny gave them less than their cousins. How do I explain that?  Tell me, readers...what do I do?  Go overboard this year and say that Easter bunny ran out of money last year?  Sister of mine...I know you read this. You will not stay at my house ever again if I have to compete with gi-nor-mous easter baskets, lol. If you do, we need to do better planning and top notch communicating...or I will one-up your easter baskets right in front of you, hahahahaha!  "Oh look kiddies, see what the Easter bunny brought Monkey and Peanut?"

-Have I mentioned I am sick of winter?  I want this snow to be gone. The bad news? We are yet again under a major flood watch/warning/whatever you want to call it. The good news? Our home is out of the flood plain and we have a brand new sump pump with a battery back-up. Now tell me this...who wouldn't want to buy this house knowing they will not have to deal with the flood and/or flood insurance???

-I also need winter to be done because I want my children to go outside and play. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but I am tired of being house-ridden with them. I need some damn fresh air. I am lucky in the sense that both the kids LOVE to play in the snow. My son adores winter. But, I think I need them to go out a little longer each day. :)

-I hate Virgin Mobile today. A lot. Their finance department can bite me for not returning phone calls and leaving me without telephone contact with my husband over what we can't quite figure out is fraud. Really? Been a customer for what, 6-7 years? And all of a sudden they think that because my husband ran out of minutes we are committing fraud? GRRRRR. I am so angry about this. Virgin Mobile, I am ready to fire you.

Deleting the naughty...with a little heat.

I am having an affair.

With a heating pad. And, yes I actually said that out loud as I typed it. And no, it's not my first.

I have a really hard time staying warm. My feet often turn white, sort of numb and icy cold. Crawling into bed at night on cold sheets makes me shiver and feel stiff and I just hate it. Husband decided one day to put an old heating pad on my side of the bed under the covers for me...and it changed my life.

My first affair was with Heating Pad the First (HP I). HP I had to have been close to 20 years old or more. In fact, I think he had a previous relationship with Husband's mother, to whom he belonged. He was a pale aqua colored cloth full of little pills and snags that had no cushion, the bottom plastic was completely poked through and I was actually afraid he would start on fire. I felt it was time to move on. I deserved a new heating pad, one of my very own.

Now, Husband is very supportive of my relationships with HP I and HP II. He agreed that HP I was just too dangerous for me. He wanted me to be with something more stable, modern and younger.

This is how I met Heating Pad the Second (HP II). Husband gave him to me either for Christmas or my birthday one year. He is a sky blue color with three heat settings and a timed auto shut-off. He is my companion through the winter, PMS, sore muscles and illness. Sometimes we just hang out while I read a trashy novel or type.

With my husband living in Nebraska I am finding it very hard to stay warm in a bed with an enormous amount of real estate. I love my king size bed, but not having a warm body on the other side leaves the sheets cold and no legs to shove my frozen feet on to keep them from going numb. I fill some of the void by keeping a load of pillows piled next to me..it gives me the illusion he is present without all the twitching.

But I miss our night time ritual nearly as much as I miss him. Almost every night, Husband comes into the bedroom because he finishes getting ready before I do. He turns on the lamp, turns on my turbo fan for white noise, puts HP II in his place of honor and pulls the bedding back over it so my side is nice and warm before I crawl in. So HP II,now I turn you on. You don't turn me on, but you are keeping me warm until I can be cozy by Husband's side again.

Deleting the naughty...with Love With Food March

Love with Food, the sub box with a great cause is giving us a "New twist on classic favorites" for the theme this month. As always, with every box you buy, they donate a meal.









Dark Chocolate Orange Good Fortune Cookie from Emily's Chocolate:
Exactly what it says it is. And my fortune? Yeah...if you follow my blog, you know what this means...

Ola Foods Granola:
100% natural handbaked granola. I got the flavor Vanilla Almond. Made with whole grain oats, pure maple syrup, non GMO canola oil (which yes I know is bad if you are trying to be Paleo..I am failing on all fronts right now, but at least I am eating healthier), vanilla extract and cinnamon. Whole almonds in this to be clear.

Chocolate Covered Wasabi Peas from Chocwasabi:
Milk chocolate covered horseradish peas. I tried one. I did not like them. Sometimes you get a miss.

Salted Caramel Baked Corn from Cosmos Creations:
These are puffed corn coated with a salted caramel. Like the kind my mother-in-law makes every Christmas, you know the stuff I am talking about. This bag of goodies could rival the homemade. It is very close to the real stuff, I have to say.

Revolution Tea Green Tea Infuser:
I received a bag of the Acai Green Tea. I like tea. I don't drink soda or drink mixes so a nice clean tea hits the spot for me. I am looking forward to trying it.

Mary's Gone Crackers Wholesome Snacks:
I got the Sticks & Twigs Pretzels variety. Organic, vegan, gluten-free...I really liked these. This was my late night snack the other night and it filled me up.

Fruit and Veggie Juice from Kids 50:
Made with water, carrot juice, apple juice, acerola juice, it also contains Stevia.  I am not prepared to jump on the Stevia bandwagon just yet, I need more info. But, I think the kids will like this, now I just need them to not fight over who got more.

Wild Berry Flat Fruit from Wacky Apple:
I always give these to my kids. They share one bite with me and then it's gone in a matter of seconds. I know they will love it because they love all things fruit.

Deleting the naughty...with Graze March

Graze is the box I subscribed to some 2 months ago, when the UK subscription service launched in a small roll-out in the U.S.  It has taken off and has slowed down the influx of new subscribers, hence my code not working anymore. I am hopeful it will open up again soon because I want to order another one for my kids. The value is amazing - $5 a box, and you can now get it weekly, twice a month or monthly. You can also push back weeks if you are on vacation or can't get one once in a while.

Since I lost my SD Card, there is no actual evidence of the snacks I have received thus far. I have eaten every morsel and I will continue to do so.  I will start with sharing photos of Box #4 and Box #6.  Somehow, it arrived before Box #5, but I have high hopes that it will arrive this week yet :) 

In previous boxes, I have enjoyed most everything with the exception of 2 items that I "trashed" on their website.

Box #1
Orange and Ginger Flapjack- My first favorite. I loved every bite. Flapjacks are the U.K.'s version of kind of a granola bar I guess. Made from rolled oats, oranges and a little ginger, soft and chewy. Photo from their website at graze.com

Florentine- pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate buttons and dried cranberries. I liked the chocolate and the cranberries but there were just too many pumpkin seeds, and the seeds were plain. That isn't a problem, it was just too many.  I trashed this one.

Peking Dynasty- peking cashews, baked soy bites and dried black beans. This wasn't my thing either and was also trashed.  I didn't mind the cashews..yum. Or the soy bites. But the beans were nasty.

Chili and Lime Pistachios- I didn't get to try this one. We were visiting my husband at his apartment so I thought he needed a little treat...pistachios are one of his favorite. He said they were awesome and now I regret sharing. Hopefully I will get them as a repeat and have a chance to taste them.

Box #2

Vanilla Cherry Frangipane- dried cherries, almonds, vanilla pumpkin and vanilla sunflower seeds. I like this one ok, but it wasn't a wow for me. I did enjoy the flavor of the vanilla though. I left it as a try once in a while.

Pomodoro Rustichella- cheese croutons, tomato, basil and oregano almonds and mini tomato breadsticks. I loved this one. I am finding that I really like the savory mixes a lot. Great flavors!

Toffee Apple Dipper- sticky toffee sauce with granny smith apple slices. Their version of dried apples is different than ours. They are more chewy and soft, but I really liked it. Even though I am trying to cut back on sugar, I figure this is a better option than sitting down with a bag of chips or a big candy bar.

Sticky Chocolate Pudding- milk chocolate drops, jumbo raisins and green raisins. I left this one as a try also. It's not terrible, it didn't knock my socks off and I guess I would rather continue to try new things and find favorites rather than eating something I am meh about.

Box #3

Summer Pudding- yogurt coated sunflower seeds, blackcurrants, sponge pieces and cranberries. This one was good. I would take a bite of the yogurt seeds with a bit of cranberries or currant and sponge and chew it all together and it would have a wonderful flavor. A little sweet but still good.

Olive and Rosemary Bruschetta- mini tomato breadsticks, rosemary and garlic cashews and kalamata olive crouton.  YUM! Again, the savories are the way to go for me. I throw a package into my purse and always have a little something just in case. Photo from their website at graze.com.

Mississippi BBQ Pistachios- roasted pistachios with BBQ seasoning. Love them and so did my daughter. Not spicy, not sweet, just a good flavor with a kick.

Marvelous Macaroon:  This box had the macaroon, but I just ate it today. See pic and review of it below

I will try to remember to update the offerings as I eat them!

Box #4
Super Berry Detox- blueberries, green raisins, goji berries and cranberries

Fruity Mango Chutney- fruity mango chutney with black pepper dippers . This was ok. The dippers were not the greatest but the chutney was good and was spicy sweet.

Marvelous Macaroon- originally in Box #3. Bits of coconut, almond slices, mini meringues and white chocolate buttons. I really liked this one. Mix and match the bits in each bite and get a little bit different taste each time.

Honeycomb Crunch- milk chocolate coated honeycomb, raisins and almonds

Cheddar Gorge- cheese cashews, baked herb bites and salsa corn sticks

 

Box #6

Black Pepper Pistachios- roasted pistachios with black pepper

Pina Colada- pineapple, coconut flakes and mango

Banoffee Pie- fudge pieces, almond slices, pecan nuts and banana coins

El Picante- jumbo salted corn, hot chili peanuts and mini paprika breadsticks

UPDATE

Box #5 - MIA - officially arrived as of  3/16, a little beat up but all the food was still sealed and intact!!

Honeycomb Flapjack- rustic rolled oat flapjack with honeycomb and milk chocolate 

Hickory Smoked Nuts & Seeds- smoked almonds, smoked cashews, roasted pumpkin and roasted sunflower seeds 

Bounty Hunter- milk chocolate drops, coconut flakes and cranberries 

Smoky Gazpacho Dip- smoky gazpacho relish with wholemeal crisp bread slices. This was actually pretty good. It's almost a sweet BBQ with a little tang, like a smoked tomato marmalade. I like it but I needed a couple more of the little bread crisps to finish off the dip.

Deleting the naughty...with PopSugar Must Have March

The March PopSugar Must Have box arrived in record time. I actually stayed spoiler free this month, and I am glad I did. I ended up being more excited about it and didn't have any biased opinions on the contents.  This worked for me, but I don't know if I can do it again next month!

The Laundress Specialty Washes:
The full size item I received was "Delicate Wash". This blend is for silk, synthetics, lycra spandex, bras, hosiery and lingerie, etc.  This was a good one for me because the other options would be useless: Wool and Cashmere (not a whole lot of that) and Denim Wash (frankly I don't care how my jeans are washed - I don't by the $100 ones). The bottle is 16 oz. with a 3x concentration so a capful should go a long way. Non-toxic, biodegradable and allergen free. The fragrance is Lady and is very light and floral. I need to take better care of my unmentionables so this will be a friendly reminder sitting on my dryer :)

Hollywood Fashion Secrets Sweater Saver Brick:
I have never heard of this. I usually use a battery operated pill shaver. To use you just lightly rub on the clothing and it removes pills, fuzz and knots. Not recommended on fine knit or silk.  I have read other comments that it leaves little black chunks everywhere, so we shall see if this is useful.

Hollywood Secrets Fashion Tape:
I am slowly gaining a complete repetoire of useful fashion items, and I like to have them around even though I don't go anywhere fancy anymore.  But, just in case... now I have fashion tape to keep my shirt closed! Whew...I have always had a problem with that..NOT. I am going to throw these in the drawer with my new backless, self-adhesive bra, the strapless bra, the spanx, the piller and my foot petals. I am prepared for the Oscars.

Heather Belle Signature Tassel Necklace:
According to the card, tassel necklaces are the hottest trend of the season.  I have had a couple of these for over a year now, so I must be a trendsetter, hahaha! I have hardly any gold toned jewelry in my armoir so I am excited to have this piece, as I wouldn't have picked it out for myself. I already know what I can wear it with...Summer, get here, please.

Corkatoo Corkscrew:
This is my second corkscrew this month...I am starting to feel some peer pressure, and that I should be drinking more. I got the red Parrot one and it is super cute. I love it, and all things beachy and vacation-y. It doubles as a bottle opener on the beak.  How can you not enjoy cracking open a cold one while thinking "Polly wants a beer".

The New Black Nail Polish:
The duo I received is Pardon My French, in a sort of periwinkle blue and a pastel leafy green. I was just thinking about going through my polish drawer and throwing out the stuff that is almost 8 years old anyway, so it will be nice to refresh with the smaller bottles. Plus it is almost flip flop season... UPDATE: I believe the combo I got is the Pardon My French set in "Havoc"

Buxom Sculpted Lash Mascara:
The card says a girl can never have too many kinds of mascara, but I think I am mascara-ed out. This stuff only has a short shelf life and I wear it once a week maybe.  I need to get out more...really. But since I am over the hill, I noticed my eyelashes have thinned out and are not as long as they used to be, so maybe this a silent message that I need to do somethign about that. The S-shaped brush is supposed to acheive thick lashes and shape curl, to get the both the inner and outer lashes.  I will give it a try. I have also been looking for a reason (other than my husband saying we are moving get rid of shit) to throw out old mascaras too.

Peeps:
Enough said.  I've been to the Peep Store.  Happy Easter.

Deleting the naughty...with a P!nk Fancy Box

I subscribed to a box curated by P!nk from The Fancy. I used a discount code for $25 off 1 box. This is an expensive subscription, normally $39 plus S&H.

The box arrived with P!nk Fancy printed on the outside, so I thought, this should be cool. Upon opening, basically all the products were just thrown into an oversized box and a single piece of tissue paper was thrown on top. I am guessing since there was nothing real breakable in it, there was no need to pack it carefully, but still.  It was a hot mess.

On to the products:

There were notecards that were printed with the item description and a photo of it. Nothing from Pink explaining why she chose the product or anything. I have a real hard time buying the idea she had anything to do with this box, actually.

Casino Bottle Opener from Kikkerland:
The one I received was an ace of spades, in stainless steel. It's pretty heavyweight, we will get minimal use out of it. We've been known to partake of a beer now and again, but it isn't anything we would ever pick out as something we "fancy".

Body Art Paint Sticks 6 Pack:
These are like crayons, and have a clickable push up for more of the paint - made of paraffin, glycerin, petrolatum (bad) and some other chemicals. My 4 year old asked me to put a cat nose and whiskers on her face, so she liked them, and my son wants me to put a car on his...I could throw these away, but they made for a cute picture :)

American Apparel T-Shirt:

Navy blue printed with white "Beautiful things happen when you distance yourself from the negative shit." So obviously I will never be able to wear this out in public, nor around my 6 year old who can read. So it will make for a pajama or a gardening shirt I guess.

Atlas of Remote Islands Book:

This is actually pretty cool and by far the favorite item in the box. Most of my friends know I am a wannabe island hopper beach bum, so this fits my personality, along with the planned decor of the house we are building, cape cod style. I am going to use this as my end table coffee book in my bedroom, right next to my copy of "1491: New Revelations of the America's Before Columbus" and a beautiful leather bound sketch book my brother-in-law brought back for me from Ireland for Christmas one year. I love books like this and I will enjoy it.


In addition, there was a coupon for $20 off CanvasPop that I probably won't use, but you never know. 

I am glad I had $25 off.  After opening the box and going through the contents, I canceled. Immediately. This was by far the worst box I have ever received, and I do not plan on getting another one from Fancy. You would think with P!nk there would have been some really fun things in the box..as a spokeswoman for Cover Girl, we could have gotten some cosmetics, her own music free downloads would have cool, or even a funky piece of jewelry or clothing.  This was lame and not what I would have expected.  Bummer. But...I do love the book.

Deleting the naughty...by deleting winter.

I really don't want to start off my post by being negative but I must get this out. I hate winter. I really do. It has done nothing but chap my hide this year and I need to wrangle in the negativity.  I sound like a whiny child 60% of the time.  Yet I have continued to live in it for 40 years because it is a quality of life I appreciate. I am rethinking things with the fresh perspective I've gotten the last 3 months, specifically the last week.

It has ruined almost every weekend since my husband moved.

1. We knew it would be rough with him having to go in the winter. I hole-up and never seem to get warm, while dreaming of comfort food. He hates bright, sunny winter days that lie about the real temperature, luring you into a false belief that since the sun is shining, it must be warm. It is hard to stay enthusiastic when it seems like the cold and dark will never go away.

2. We got through the fantasy land of being together over the holidays and that is when winter decided to arrive. I swear there has been a winter storm or blizzard that has come barreling through every fricking weekend we were supposed to have time together. We either have to leave a day early for something oncoming, or cancel entirely because of impending doom.

3. The one stretch of interstate we need to take to be together has got to be the most forlorn, desolate, snow blown, ice covered, wide-open space on the planet next to Siberia. This particular route is prone to closings, whiteouts and for hours 1.5 through 3...no cell service. Sunday proved to be particularly awful as my husband left at noonish and did not get to his destination until 11 p.m.  He also took a slight detour into the ditch to avoid an accident and $100 had to be towed out. Mind you, no cell service. He got lucky as there were 9 other vehicles in ditches within a one mile radius, so the tow trucks were out and about rescuing as they came across the poor saps.  When I hadn't heard from him at the right halfway point, I just knew something had happened.  Thank God he was not injured or damage to the vehicle.


So, to find something positive...
1. I like a little sparkly snow and clear, cold, night skies for approximately 2 weeks a year. For Christmas. Call me sentimental, but it just makes the holiday for me. I have great visions of the future where we go for a walk as a family, looking at beautiful lights, watching street performers sing carols on corners while drinking hot chocolate and snacking on cookies, all the while a light dusting of soft snowflakes are floating to the ground.  Yeah, I know...but it could happen.

2. Daylight Savings Time.  Yeah, while the spring forward sucks I relish a little more light. It is the true sign that winter is on its way out and spring is marching in.  Soon there will this slight scent in the air, the wind will be just a little less crisp and the sound of dripping will reach your ears.

3. It will probably flood.  And while we are high and dry most years, it will be a helpful nudge to remind me we are moving somewhere a little warmer with less flooding. It will also remind me of the new adventure and surprises.

4. With my husband having come home for the week, we got SO MUCH DONE!  Taxes, plans, financing, cleaning, a couple repairs, new motivation and reconnection with each other...all things that are necessary to get through this.  I feel the need to clarify from a previous post about me being insecure...it's not that I am insecure about our marriage.  It is more of a need for reassurance of purpose I guess. It is hard to feel loved from a distance, but it just takes extra work and we both know we are worth it :)

So, on to feeling a little lighter and a little happier. Spring is coming and we've made progress. I found a quote that I like:

"Sometimes when things are falling apart, they may actually be falling into place."

Deleting the naughty...with Beauty Box 5 February

Beauty Box 5 has recently announced they are making a change. With their One Year Anniversary, they have vowed to have larger products, as in more deluxe sizes.  If this month is an indication of their commitment to customer satisfaction, they are off to a great start!

*I have dropped the ball this month, and so my reviews are a little off the cuff..in the haste of keeping organized I have thrown lots of boxes and description cards, so I will do my best. I also lost my SD card, so a couple other boxes will have no reviews :).

BB5 Compact Brush:
Cute little compact mirror/brush combo in aqua blue with their logo. Peanut instantly loved it. I am going to thrown this in my purse and keep it handy for her hair in a pinch, especially at dance class.  I can't use it because of my curly hair, but it is a keeper.

Tree Hut Shea Sugar Body Scrub:
Deluxe sample size in Tropical Mango.Certified organic. Smells amazing and I am pumped to use this come spring to pump me up for summer...get me exfoliated and ready for swimsuit season! Downside? I hate when stuff smells so good I would rather eat or drink it. 

Cool Way Boost, Low Heat Revolution:

The website for this product talks about a new system for styling hair that doesn't involve high temperatures from flat/curling irons and blow drying. It is a three step system involving the Transform Spray, the AutoSense Flat Iron and the Boost Repair Mask. the sample I received is for the mask. Site description is this: "Brings flat, lifeless hair, back to life, by eliminating environmental and friction damage. Our scientists found a way to strengthen, condition and smooth your hair by adding a weekly application of Boost Repair Mask™ to your hair. You will not recognize your hair after 30 days of using Boost.

- Stops frizz by locking moisture in your hair.
- Smoothes, Conditions and clinically proven to strengthen hair.
- Color safe, non toxic and good for all hair types."
I am interested in the mask, but am guessing without using the whole system you won't have the great results. I will give it a try.

H20 Bath Aquatics Shampoo:
This is a hotel sized sample of a daily shampoo that is gentle. Ingredients include watercress, moss and seaweed. Love the smell!

Brush Guards:
I forgot to talk about these...here's the deal...I don't know what they are and I probably won't use them :)


Short and sweet, sorry!!  I will get back into gear soon!

Deleting the naughty...with So What Saturday

Ok, I am behind with my posts and reviews, way more behind than I have ever been...so I am going to start "So What Saturday" where I am going to allow myself to have an excuse for not spending some time writing. 
Here are this week's excuses:

- I lost my SD card for my camera. For real. My 32 GB holds everything since Christmas.  All my photos and videos from the holidays, the new town, the kids....gone. I cannot find it anywhere. And I don't think I left the house with my laptop but one time for Peanut's dance class, and it was not there.  So, no card to take my pictures until yesterday. I'll get right on that....

-I have a showing today at 4:45 for the house.  Must make it presentable and have now been cleaning for 2 days, only to have a knockdown blowout argument with Monkey about either cleaning his room or I am packing all his stuff until we move.  He finally cleaned his room, and I have to say he did a great job. If only the rest of the house was easy for him to clean.  Hmmmmmm......

-My husband is coming home for the week today!!!!! So, I don't care about my blog right at this moment.  I just need to get through the afternoon of cleaning and by the time we leave the house for the showing he will be home. We have so much to do, what with taxes, signing stuff for the new house we are building and dealing with end of year details, that it will probably fly by.  But I don't care, at least he is here.  Did I forget to mention he is going to be here for a whole week?


Later people...I have shit to do.