Monday, September 30, 2019

Musings - September 2019

September felt like the start of a new year! It also felt a year long. I coped with books as self-care and a touch of skin-care changes. 

 Books: I've continued to kill it on the Kindle Unlimited. As I finish the new author binge on Linsey Hall ....
- The 5 books of the Dragon's Gift: The Huntress by Linsey Hall
- The 5 books of the Dragon's Gift: The Amazon by Linsey Hall
- The 3rd book of the Dragon's Gift: Queen of the Fae by Linsey Hall

 And then I went rouge from Kindle Unlimited and mixed physical with electronic on three books of JR Ward's Black Dagger series. (The King - electronic, The Shadows - electronic , and The Chosen - physical.) 

 Also, one of my Twitter friends wrote a grand book which I devoured in 2 days. The Bear's Wife. It's sci-fi. It's historical fiction. It's a romance. It's an adventure. It's ALL the THINGS, and I am in breathtaking awe of the world she created in her head to share with the rest of us. It's available on Kindle Unlimited!

 And then there was the clean up reading just getting a few things off my Kindle Unlimited since you can only have 10 things out at once:
- A Beautiful Poison by Lydia King
- The 2 books of the Southern Belles and Spells Matchmaker Mysteries by Amy Boyles
- All 6 of the Federal Bureau of Magic series by Annabel Chase
- Beaten at His Own Game (BackRoom Bookstore #9) by Susan Harper.
- Shadows and Souls (Eve Williams book 3) by Ashley Beasley

 In summary, it was an escapist reading month. #SorryNotSorry My reading challenge of 52 books is dust. I'm sitting right around 130 books for the year. 

Gratitude: Chubby kitties. New nail polish. New skin care. Brunch. Farmer's market. The beautiful sky (because dog has to go out with a person, I get to really see the sky - far from city lights - at all kinds of hours in all kinds of moods.). 

Listening: In addition to the Dave Ramsey Podcast, I've been very Ophelia by Natalie Merchant. Just that kind of a month. A little Dido, The Girl Who Got Away and Stevie Nicks, Trouble in Shangrai-La.

Perfume: Every day is Willow & Water from the Library of Flowers. Except the days I've been skipping it because I'm bored. Starting a new set soon!


Random: Green River (lemon and vanilla) and Blue Moon (almond and lemon) are the best flavors ever - despite being fake.

Recipes: Early in the month, I made a lively Indian curry - using only green and white veggies. But since the sauce was pre-made, I won't count it as a recipe. 

 It was an Indian curry kind of month. I made it several times with different combos of fresh veggies. I love my new tiny farmer's market and bought several awesome sets of mushrooms, okra and even paw-paw fruit!

 Something new - I added blueberries to oatmeal cookies. Delicious! The blueberries were starting to dry out just a bit and it was the perfect use for them.
Self-Care: Nails, Skincare and Soaps.
Ooh! I discovered a grand new nail polish - LBK. It's USA made and free from many nasty chemicals. And.... you can flick up the lid to see the color against your skin. Best bottle design ever!

 Skin...Day - On hot days, I'm stil using the 5Yina - the Lucent Beauty Duo  from the June  Boxwalla box . I'm still adding Farizad's Veil from Earthwise Beauty to the oil as my first line of sun protection and layer underneath my 100% Pure Eye Cream. On non-sun days, I've been using what my Juice Beauty serum and oil (again with the Farizad's Veil mixed-in, just in case.) I did, however, buy a new duo of mis-matched day wear.

Night  - After a cleanse with the Heart of Gold's "Sea Change Cleansing Balm" which came in the August Boxwalla box, followed with my DHC Cleansing Powder I've been mixing up the after-care.  I've been using the African Botanical's Cell Recovery Serum  all over plus Fleur d'Afrique Oil (same brand) around the eyes and at the neck + Plus a little of the Siam Seas Sai Clear Skin Serum on problem areas - until I killed it off mid-month. Alternatively, I picked up a Mad Hippie Vitamin C serum and a Pacifica Tansy Oil that I've used just a touch of. More next month!


Soaps. Alright. I finally figured out the deal with Cellar Door Soaps. They are wonderful. But they have a masculine vibe to me. Even this month's new soap - Dogwood Apple Blossom. The ginger in that just jumps up and bites you, overpowering any floral essence. And then, on Instagram, I caught that the owner, drum roll.... is a guy! His wife does the Instagram photos but the nose behind the soaps is masculine. It also explains the heavy coloration that lingers on your bathtub and requires an extra scrub. Villianess soaps (female creator) are also heavily scented but don't require extra tub clean-up. And the thank you gifts from Villianess extend the product line - cream and oils as well as extra soap bits. I highly recommend trying soaps NOT made by mass production. There are pricepoints for every budget (Cellar Door is about $7 each bar, while Villianess is about $11 - but the Zum Bar, lovely goatsmilk soaps, are just $6.50 and richly lathers) and so many scents.

Stress: Changes are hard, messy and I'm still waiting for the gorgeous part becasue right now I feel like I'm flying without a net.

Things 12 Said: 1) This was not said but done. She labeled the cookies.
2) We "shared" a container of gummy bears - she carefully doled out 2 at a time for me, but never the red or pale yellow, because those are her favorites.
3) She decided the dog's new haircut was "formal, like a butler." (They messed up his faux hawk.)  
4) At lunch we were thinking about vegetables she likes to eat - carrots, beets, potatoes - and she tells me she just basically likes "roots and fruits". She's not wrong.
5) For her 13th birthday - we did her first mani/pedi

Watching: I binged  Carnival Row. (I recognize so many actors in this.) A few episodes of Orange is the New Black but this last season is very dark so I get "tired" quickly. And guess what? Designing Women on Hulu!!! (I am Julia Sugarbaker, forever.) I had 13 watch a few episodes - she agreed.

Take- away - What are you willing to risk to get what you want? Something you are holding on to is holding you back. This month, I decided what I'm willing to risk. It's going to be an adventure from here!
September is a total start over month. As such, if you need a Boot Camp style re-start, check out my book with a 7 day kick starter. (Click here!)




Original musings posts you may enjoy:


All photos by moi! And you can tell...

*Juice Beauty is a staple in my beauty cabinet. I stray, I try other things - but it's my favorite "foundation" (I used the CC Cream) and great skin care. If you like Juice Beauty too, here is a link. I do get a small commission (at no cost to you) when you use these links which helps support this blog.

- Skin Care by Juice Beauty
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Monday, September 2, 2019

Musings - August 2019

August is really less summer than pre-fall. It's been fairly cool and bit rainy. Perfect for making nightlights.

 Books: I've been killing it on the Kindle Unlimited. (Seriously, they are making nothing on me this month.)  And I may have gone on a bit of a binge on a new author.
- The first 4 books of Jane Hinchey's Witch Way series. (I'm team Blake. And like being team Ranger, I think I'll probably lose.) I'd recommend these for a beach read.
- The first 7 books of Susan Harper's Back Room Bookstore series. It's easy and light but could use some editing to correct errors in the story. (It contradicts itself on details too often.)
- The last 4 books of Blooms, Bones and Stones Cozy Mystery set from Olivia Swift.
- The 4 books of the Wicked Witches of Destiny Cove by Sara Bourgeois
- The 5 books of the Dragon's Gift: The Valkyrie by Linsey Hall
- The 5 books of the Dragon's Gift: The Sorceress by Linsey Hall (And hello. I'm team Declan. )
- The first 2 books of the Dragon's Gift: The Dark Fae by Linsey Hall
It's a ridiculous amount of books!

 Gratitude: New perfume samples. Dinner with friends. Cardio drumming. Girls night out. Small-town farmers' markets. Small town diners. Boat rides. Coffee with friends in flower filled splendor. Chubby kittens. Tiny harvests. Crafting pretty things from glass.

 Listening: Have discovered that 19's jam is The Civil Wars. I'm slowly getting both girls on board with my music! She also said the chorus of Halsey's Castle should be my sound track when I walk into board meetings. (HA!)

 Perfume: Every day is Willow & Water from the Library of Flowers. Except when I am trying the new sample perfumes!!! I ordered a sample of Ellis Brooklyn, the Chronicle's series. And here are my thoughts, rank ordered by my preference.
- Sci Fi is a blend of green tea, pink freesia, bitter orange and vanilla beans.(Billed as an "otherworldly vanilla"). The tea and orange were top notes for me in a base of vanilla. I loved it. But, this barely lasted 4 hours on my skin. However, I liked it enough that I'd just carry a refresher option with me.
- Fawn is coconut milk, bergamont, amber and lily of the valley. (Billed as "summer in a bottle"). I got the lily of the valley with amber right away and just the tiniest hint of coconut. I had high hopes for this one. This lasted less than 3 hours on my skin.If there were a way to make it last longer, I'd love it.
- Rrose is rose and lemon over vanilla orchid. (Billed as "Not your grandma's rose"). It lingered about 8 hours. For me, it blew through the rose scent in about 1 hour and went heavy on the lemon and vanilla orchid. The scent evokes spring in a clean and fresh way.
- Fable is honeysuckle and amber with a few other things. (Billed as "pretty and complex".) It was lovely for all of 30 minutes and then it was like I didn't bother to put on perfume at all. Lack of sillage makes it a nope for me.
- Myth is a completely forgettable scent on me. (Billed as "the most alluring musk around"). Bergamont, jasmine, and white cedarwood sound gorgeous - I love those scents! But, like several of the others, zero sillage. A rather boring white musk and off in under 2 hours. 
- Rives is the unisex fragrance of the bunch with orange, lavender and cashmere suede. (Billed as "incredibly clean, incredibly modern"). The instant it hit my skin, I thought 'Wow. Unisex. Nope.' - unisex just usually doesn't have enough floral for me.
- Raven this is peony and patchouli. (Billed as "your power scent".) I was so caught up in the idea of peony fragrance - my favorite flower, I didn't realize how overwhelming the patchouli would be. So very strong and sadly, it was all the earthy dirt-smelling patchouli-ness that I hate. If you like patchouli, this would be a good scent and the sillage is excellent. (As fate would have it, this one lasted damned near 20 hours while I hated it.) 


 Drum-roll - none of them beat the Henry Rose for sillage but there were a couple I'd like to have in my line-up.  On to the next sampling! 

 Random: 19 and I went on a small town adventure. We went to my hometown for First Friday to explore. We saw all the things - the little soap shop, the best 2nd hand store, adorable jewelry store, La Gram Russe's church, and a diner featured in Dives and Diners. I even got guy the most beautiful mug, hand-crafted at a pottery shop in Goshen.

 Recipes: Still barely cooking.

 Self-Care: I've basically gone rogue and am using everything I own on different days.

 Day - Last month I started using the Boxwalla box from 5Yina - the Lucent Beauty Duo  most days as it was designed for summer. And I  still love it. It's completely perfect for the hot sticky summer months. I'm still adding Farizad's Veil from Earthwise Beauty to the oil as my first line of sun protection. I really adore that I don't have to layer on another product or skip something so I don't over-layer products. 

 Some days, when I knew I'd be inside most of the day, I've been using what my Juice Beauty serum and oil (again with the Farizad's Veil mixed-in, just in case.) Having now used a good many oils - I don't like the Juice Beauty oil as well as some of the others. (Order of preferred oils: 5Yina, Fleurs d'Afrique, Little Barn Apothecary, Physician's Formula Oil Elixir and then Juice Beauty. Which is super weird because the Juice Beauty formulation is at least as good as the prior 2. Just a texture and absorption thing.)

 And a few days, if I'm not going out at all -  the April box's FlowerSpice Soothe and Repair Daily Moisturizer on the neck and my 100% Pure Eye Cream on the eyes. 

 I've added a 100% Pure Eye Cream - which I've been using days and nights depending on needed. I've also restarted using my Frownies! (Funny story - both 19 and Guy caught me wearing them. "What do you have on?" Not pretty. But quickly removable. "Nothing.")
Night  - That has been a toss-up. After a cleanse with either my Miscellar Water or a coconut cleansing balm + face wash....
- For sweaty days, I've been using the Siam Seas' Sai Clear Skin Serum  (all over), the FlowerSpice Soothe and Repair Daily Moisturizer on the neck and my 100% Pure Eye Cream on the eyes. The Siam Seas is a little gritty and as the amount in the bottle lowers, it's gotten harder to pump out - but it's light and does a nice job keeping the skin clear. Harder to pump out = tap the bottom to re-engage. A few nights I did break out the Earthwise Yasuni Face balm with the 100% Pure Eye Cream.
- For beach and regular days, I've been using the African Botanical's Cell Recovery Serum  all over plus Fleur d'Afrique Oil (same brand) around the eyes and at the neck. Plus a little of the Siam Seas Sai Clear Skin Serum on problem areas. 

 This month's Boxwalla box is from Heart of Gold in Portland. Which is funny because I always wanted to go there when in Portland. And it's a GENEROUS box - cleansing cream, a gromage (which I've not heard of) and a serum. Very excited to get a cleansing cream!

 And this month I've stymied 2 people with my age! Success.


Stress: Work can be weird.

 Things 12 Said: Mostly, as she approaches 13 she speaks in "Nothing" and grunts

 Watching: Wynonna Earp, the latest season. And I binged all of The Librarians again. Sometimes you just need light-hearted mystery.

 Take- away - It's fine to escape from stress but remember your way back to who you are.


Original musings posts you may enjoy:


All photos by moi! And you can tell...

*Juice Beauty is a staple in my beauty cabinet. I stray, I try other things - but it's my favorite "foundation" (I used the CC Cream) and great skin care. If you like Juice Beauty too, here is a link. I do get a small commission (at no cost to you) when you use these links which helps support this blog.

- Skin Care by Juice Beauty
Follow my blog with Bloglovin  - A new way to follow!
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