Deleting the naughty...with Yuzen November Box

I am in love with Yuzen. They truly have a way of making me feel a little bit special and even though I am aware I pay for this service, I feel like it's a gift. Being a graphic designer for the last 16 years, and working in public relations and marketing, I am a victim of my own profession. I fall hard for a great concept, beautiful packaging, intentionally designed pieces and customer service.

Again, the box arrived packaged with a pretty bow, and with the Yuzen paper, lovely gold and burgundy fall colors with a note. All the items were put together in a little brown mesh bag.

I am thrifty, and I will admit, these tissue papers, bags and ribbons are too pretty to throw away, so I carefully place them inside the mesh bag they come with, and I've stored them away to use for little birthday gifts, Christmas gifts and such. They will come in handy next month when I make little gift bags for teachers and our mail lady. I think reusing these little extras follows suit to the eco-friendly, natural philosophy Yuzen stands for.

I am excited about the products in this month's box.

Savane Organic Skincare Purifying Toner in Rooibus:
This product is made from certified natural and organic African botanicals that have been used to protect from harsh climates and anti-aging. It is made from Rooibos extract, ethanol, vanilla planifolia, patchouli oil, frankincense oil, rose geranium oil.  The first spray took me back a little bit, very strong and overwhelming. Once it dried a bit it the scent was very earthy, I could tell there was patchouli. I am not sure if I care for the scent, but I use toner regularly, so I will use it and update after a week how I liked the cosmetic use of it.

Keeki Organic Lip Shimmers:
This lip product is made from pure organic ingredients. Ingredients are beeswax, cocoa butter, coconut oil, sunflower seed oil, peppermint oil, vanilla flavor and mica for shimmer. I got the Sophisticated color and I really liked it on me, I looked, for lack of better words, healthy. Like I had just a healthy color on my lips, and it brightened up my face a bit. No more pale nudes on me, this was a nice change of pace. I could feel the peppermint cooling on my lips but there was very little flavor to it.  Nice product!

Shea Radiance Whipped Shea Butter with Kalahari Melon:
Body butters speak for themselves. They are thicker than lotion and cream and last longer. It is very light and not melon, but some sort of fruity, nutty kind of scent. More of a natural shea. I didn't mind it. It lingers of a natural skin, soap scent.

Zents Bath Salts:
The description for these says they soothe everyday muscle strains, stress, promote circulation, remove toxins and keep skin soft. I don't typically use bath salts because I thought they were not good for women, but these are paraben, phthalate, sulfate and dye free, so I am going to give them a try. I have used Bert's Bees sore muscle stuff before, and survived. I would rather use something natural than say, Calgon. My box had 2 packages. The EARTH scent is for strengthening and grounding: sandalwood (love), siberian fir and frankincense. Very candle like. MANDARIN is for warming and invigorating: ginger, mandarin and cardamom. This reminds me of the orange spice herbal tea in scent. This product also comes in lotions, body oils, perfumes, body wash, soaps, shampoos and conditioners and has other lovely scents available: pear, water, fresh, petal, fig, ore, sun and oolong. I will be drawing a bath tonight and will update.

Simple Squares:
Made from organic ingredients: cashews, almonds, honey, coconut, vanilla, sea salt, cinnamon and cloves. This whole food snack contains no wheat, gluten, dairy or soy and is kosher. I got the cinnamon clove flavor. It's a soft square, not hard like those really crunchy granola bars, but raw and chewy. You can see the chunks of nuts, coconut and and taste heavy cinnamon and clove. It was pretty good. My 4 year old said she liked it but she didn't beg for bite after bite. The clove flavor might be too intense for little ones.

So, thank you again, Yuzen.  You delivered another box that I had a ton of fun exploring. I used every last bit of last month's products, and I am pretty sure I will use all of these too.


Follow Deleting the Naughty on facebook.

Deleting the naughty...by keeping tabs on your skin

Two years ago I decided it was time to go to a dermatologist for a mole check. I had never had one, and I figured I should at least have a baseline and check on some moles that I wasn't quite sure about. I am a sun worshipper, and I know it is not good for me. In recent years I have slathered the sunscreen, trying not to use anything under 15 SPF, then moving up the scale to 30 SPF. I still like to lay in the sun, but I try to be smarter about it, and sometimes still failing. I went to the appointment, she took some measurements and made some notes and sent me home with an all clear and see you in three years.

A few months ago I noticed a mole on the side of my foot that I just couldn't recall when it appeared, so to be on the safe side I made an appointment. Unfortunately I did not walk away unscathed from this one.

She wasn't worried about the one I was worried about. She noticed a black spot on a different mole that is located in between my fourth and pinky toe on my right foot. Uh oh. I instantly began to shake a little, I got a little bit nervous and started to sweat, first pooling in my hands, then slowly dripping. The foot she was going to stick a needle in for lidocaine turned really cold and sweaty and pale. Gross, huh?

She decided to take the mole and do a puncture and send it in for a biopsy. Then, she had to figure out how to do stitches between two toes that don't exactly have flexibility. OUCH!!!!  She was very kind and numbed it up well. I knew it was a tricky spot, a couple stitches had to be redone. I got bandaged up and hobbled out to make the appointment for suture removal. Let me tell you, the recovery process for this area is not fun. On top of that all, my little one accidentally stepped on that foot. OUCH!!!

I am a wreck. I just don't wait for news well, and am very impatient according to my predictive index score. So, it will take a week.  And I wait...just like I did for the mammogram.  I am starting to think I am a glutton for punishment.  But better safe than sorry right?  Be proactive and take care of yourself.

UPDATE: Got a call back today, I'm so glad I didn't have to stress about this over the weekend. They got the results early and it was indeed a mildly atypical mole, but not cancerous.  I now need to be checked yearly since I have the tendency to produce atypical moles. This popped into my head last night while i was trying to sleep: "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10.


Follow Deleting the Naughty on facebook.

Deleting the naughty...with the Love With Food November Box

Exciting day today...got my first Love With Food subscription box. I like to try new foods but what I love about this subscription is that for every box you purchase a meal is donated to the hungry. And since this was the November box, a time of Thanksgiving, Love With Food is donating two meals instead of one. I am fortunate that I have food to eat, and can afford to try out these sub boxes, and I'm glad that in supporting someone else's business, they in turn do something good. It's a food box that is mighty in kindness, low in price!

Price: $10/month plus $2 shipping
There are 4 plans, I signed up for the year, which was $120, free shipping.

The November box was a special Thanksgiving edition curated by Amy Roloff, of the TLC show Little People, Big World. The items in the box are her fall favorites.

Chocolate Chunk Cookie from Skeeter Snacks:
This package came with two cookies, chocolate chunk flavor. Skeeter Snacks are nut-free and 10 grams of fat. I am typically not a fan of pre-packaged cookies, they have a "taste" I just can't get into, and I prefer homemade. So, I took a bite. At first, I was not impressed, but once I started chewing, it kind of dissolved into an almost buttery flavor, and it left a pleasant aftertaste, and a little bit salty.  Not bad.

Fruit.0 in Mango Pear Pineapple:
These are little pouches of absolute goodness. 4.2 oz of pure, organic fruit, and the package guarantees there is nothing else. Kind of a fruit to go snack. No fat, no cholesterol and full of vitamins. 80% RDA of vitamin C as a matter of fact. If you are a mom, do you remember the smell and taste of the Hawaiian Delight baby food in the jar? That's what this reminds me of. It tastes like Hawaiian Delight. I am throwing it in the fridge because I think it would taste better cold. It can be refrigerated after opening for up to 24 hours. The ingredients are organic mango, pear, pineapple juice concentrate and lemon juice. Not bad, I know my kids would LOVE it.

Mini Crunch from Mrs. May's:
My flavor was cranberry almond. These are 100% natural and gluten, cholesterol, dairy and wheat free.The .7 oz portion  seemed kind of small, considering one full size serving is 26 pieces, but the first initial pieces I had were plenty for a quick little snack. I probably couldn't eat 26 pieces in one sitting.  It was a little too nutty for me, and I would have preferred more cranberry, but they were ok.

Inka Corn from Inka Crops:
These are not your average corn nuts. These kernels are huge. I am talking an inch in size. And they are yummy. I wasn't sure what to expect, thinking biting into one would cause me to lose a tooth, but they were fairly crunchy...pillowy sort of. And they had the perfect amount of salt in my opinion. They tasted like Frito's corn chips. My six year old loved them. He wanted to try one and immediately asked for more! The husband tried to hide them, as he is my cupboard squirrel and loves all things crunchy and grainy.


Truffle Piglet from Hagensborg Chocolates:
The highlighted item from Love With Food was this cute little oinker. An original all natural milk chocolate truffle shaped like a pig. And a delicious pig it was. It did not taste like bacon, but was rich, smooth and creamy.

Turkey Bak Kwa Jerky from Little Red Dot Kitchen:
The package of this all natural turkey jerky was BBQ flavored. The description on the package says it is savory sweet, tender and smoky with a little spice.I didn't really get any spice, but it was tender and sweet and like it came off a grill. I wasn't sure on the first taste, but it grew on me. It's different.

Pumpkin Spice Tea, Stash Tea Company:
Decaf! I like to sit and have a cup of hot tea sometimes before bed, especially now that there is snow on the ground, and I was happy to try something other than chamomile. Flavors highlighted on the package were nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, natural pumpkin spice flavor and clove. While it had all these ingredients, the taste was mild and smooth. Sometimes when tea has cinnamon and clove, heavy spices, they overpower the tea and then that's all you taste. Not the case with the pumpkin spice. Very nice.

Aspen Mulling Co. Original Mulling Spices Blend:
This is a single serving size packet of hot cider spices that you add to 8 oz of apple cider or juice, red wine, tea or brandy and can be served hot or cold. I have a special recipe that I throw together for my own cider, (which I will share on this blog over the Christmas holiday) so I have never used a pre-packaged mix. I will update in a few weeks-I will set aside some cider to do a side by side taste test!

So, all in all, it was a nice little box. The only drawback? Wish there were a couple of teas, and at least one more little piggy...


Follow Deleting the Naughty on facebook.

Deleting the naughty...with Cravebox Cooking Light November

Another subscription box I got interested in is the Cravebox. I went to their website and signed up, but got waitlisted. But, while I waited, I could enter a contest to win one of their specialty boxes, which happened to be sponsored by Cooking Light. And lucky me, I was notified by email that I happened to be one of the recipients!

Not too long ago, I received another email that shared news about how they were going to be changing the way they do things. So, I don't know if I am a member, not sure if they've changed things yet or what, but I have since then been notified of two more boxes I could enter for, so crossing my fingers because those sound fantastic too!

So, on to the Cooking Light box. First impression, the box was huge. And heavy.  This is a good sign. I tried not to focus too much on the spoilers that were coming out, as I wanted to be surprised..a little.

The box itself was stuffed full of what I would call "fall comfort food." On top was a sheet talking about the products, which were all advertisers in Cooking Light magazine. The biggest plus of all? They were all FULL-SIZE. The box was $13. Incredible value considering the contents:

McCormick Perfect Pinch Salt Free Garlic & Herb Seasoning:
There were 2 bottles of this, one for me and one I will share with my sister or mom. The one I received is a salt-free blend of garlic, Italian herbs (oregano rosemary, basil), red pepper onions, orange peel, celery and paprika. It smelled wonderful. I am leaning toward using this on a slow-cooked pork roast. I think it would also be tasty in a homemade vegetable soup.  Definitely thinking comfort food. Bonus - No MSG. And as I mentioned above..full sized bottles.

Nectresse 100% Natural, No Calorie Sweetener by Splenda:
This product is new, made from the extract of Monk fruit combined with other natural sweeteners (erythritol, sugar, monk fruit extract, molasses), nothing artificial. The box contains 40 individual sized packets.I opened up one of the packets and gave it a taste. I will be honest, on its own it is not for me. It has sort of an ultra sweet intense flavor. I do not normally use Splenda or artificial sweeteners, but my husband does in tea, and my dad and mother/father-in-law are diabetic. My husband will probably use it up. I personally try to avoid anything with aspartame, so this natural alternative might be worth looking into down the road.

Tully's French Roast Coffee:
A 12oz size package of ground French Roast. It's label describes it as rich, smoky, spicy. Tomorrow is Friday, and I do believe I will make myself a pot of this new stuff in the morning. I love coffee. I wake up in the morning and quite honestly it is the first thing I think about. The aroma...breathing in the steam off the top of the cup as I bring it to my lips, sipping it ever so slowly, letting it sit in my mouth for a brief moment to cool then tasting the coffee itself, mixed with just a little half and half, going down and warming my stomach.  The first sip is an experience for me...every day. I feel less than human until I get my coffee, oh what a vice to have.

Fruit Crisp from Dole:
This product is like the fruit cups they already make, but with an oatmeal topping provided. My box had a 2-pack of each flavor they make, peach, apple cinnamon and apple pear. You can enjoy these cold or heated up in the microwave. Now, I have purchased many a Dole fruit cup in my day. It was the perfect size and travel companion when my kids were babies and toddlers. Just pop one open and the kids had a healthy snack. So, the idea of a fruit crisp is intriguing to me. I enjoyed mine heated up with just a little bit of half and half added to it. The kids had theirs cold as an after school snack. To really fancy it up, I would heat it, then put a little light whipped cream or frozen vanilla yogurt on top..mmm.

Torani Syrup:
And if you didn't notice above, this is indeed another full size product, a 750mL bottle. I received sugar free Salted Caramel made with Splenda. My husband will love this.  He loves iced coffees and he actually orders his with Splenda, so I am almost certain he will be experimenting this weekend.  I love a good non-fat vanilla latte, so I am willing to try caramel.  I think this would even be good in just a steamed milk for the kids, a nice little Friday or Saturday night bedtime treat.

In addition to the products, there were recipes, a magnet with measurements, coupons and idea sheets wrapped up nicely in the Cravebox blue tissue paper.  I think this was an awesome box to receive in the mail and I love it! I will use all of these products and enjoy them.  Thanks Cravebox for choosing me!


Follow Deleting the Naughty on facebook.

Deleting the naughty...with a mammogram

 

I am a woman who is a third generation risk for breast cancer. My grandmother passed away from it and my mother survived it. As readers know, I turned 40 in October. Although I already had a baseline mammogram at 37, it was time for the one you get at 40. It was only appropriate I get it in October, which is well-known as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

I was nervous the full week before the mammogram, and even more nervous the day of. I babbled incessantly during the whole procedure, topless and cold, and asked for extra pictures just in case.

The tech who did the mammogram was very nice, but she told me a story about a 30-something young gal whose husband found something in her breast and asked her to go to the doctor. Her husband nagged her about it, but she finally went in. Her doctor didn't seem concerned about it, so gave her the all clear.

The husband, however, wasn't in agreement and made a big scene at the Dr.'s office to look into it more. The gal was extremely embarrassed by her husbands behavior and rather than risk another scene, ignored him and went about life. He continued to give her a hard time, she continued to brush him off.

The lump continued to grow, and she finally decided to get a mammogram, in the office where I was standing. The lump was indeed real, and it was indeed cancer. And three years after her husband first noticed something wasn't right, she now lies in the palliative care unit at the hospital in town.

I just stood there and thought, what a lucky woman she was. She had a husband that was so in love with her and worried about her that he made a scene.  That's what went through my head. I know mine would do the same.  So I bucked up and finished the procedure without a complaint, this could save my life.

Please, please, my dear friends and family.  Do your exams. Get your physicals. Pap's are not that bad. Really. Mammograms are not that bad. I know I may eventually get this awful cancer thing. But I am hoping if I am diligent I can at least have a fighting chance.  That's my honest thought.

The week that followed was tense for me, I just can't stand waiting for information. About anything.  So Wednesday afternoon, I went to the mailbox and the letter was there.  That was good right? It took a whole week to get the letter and nobody called me.  That's good. It means there is nothing urgent at least.

I opened the letter and got a paper cut opening it too fast. Shake it off.

We are pleased to inform you the results of your mammogram appear to be normal...

Whew.  All clear, another year.


Follow Deleting the Naughty on facebook.