Week 3 - July 2021 Musings

Some months are busy. This last few weeks have been a good bit of work and change for things around the house. And a little bit of an emotional rollercoaster learning to navigate new waters.

Books? Check out my  my Good Reads, to catch up to the 88 books I've read - most are light fiction. 

Current book club book is The Chosen and the Beautiful, a magical (literally) re-telling of The Great Gatsby. OMG it's SOOOOOOOO good. Go buy a copy now!

Cooking? Hungryroot is over. They could NOT get it together - delivery a day late, 2 days late, not at all; boxes missing items. Yeah, I don't need that kind of hassle! This month I'm trying Green Chef. First impressions: it's a little expensive per serving. It also is a little complicated for cooking. I really hate multi-pan (stove top and oven) 35 minutes of prep. And unlike Hungryroot, the Green Chef plan do not include snacks or dessert. 

Gratitude? A thousand small things: the new ferns for the bathroom, the new hand soap dispenser, fresh ink, the new elephant pillow, the room screen. 

Also things that are not things: friends coming over for dinner, a fun experience making perfume*, going out with friends to dinner, checking out a great new movie (Black Widow) with friends. And let us discuss my fabulous patio.... (the patio of possibilities!) 

*Recommend The Aroma Lab in Kalamazoo for a fun experience making your own perfume! (That's the picture of the top. I made 3 scents and put them in different things.)

Listening? Halsey. All the Halsey. Castle is my theme song. The occasional Cocktails & Crooners from Apple's lists.

Also a ton of Susan Hyatt's Rich Coach Club podcast (formerly Go Time).

Watching? I have been binging on SVU. I'm on season 13. I think I might actually be able to solve crime at this point.

Wearing (Skin)

Keeping up with last month's "plan" of cleanse and care.

Plus, the last few months I've been trying a newer brand called Earth Harbor. They have super reasonably priced kits that let you try their products. I started with the "Dewy You" kit for older skin. It was fine. I did not love the Siren Silk cream.  The next one I tried was the "Glow Up" kit - and I loved that one! The Mermaid Milk is the perfect summer weight for daytime. The Luna Rain and Marina are wonderful for evening. And I very much loved the Glow Juice mask! Just the perfect amount of exfoliation to make the skin glow. In short, I'm an Earth Harbor fan. It's a good product, ethically made, at a great price.

Wearing (Perfume)

I continue to support small businesses with my love of indie perfume houses. Below is my latest indie haul from Sucrebeille. (They had a sale. The sales are fantastic! And I love a bargain)

• I’m a Delicate Fucking Flower - Scent Notes: Monoi Tiare, gardenias, freesia, and lily of the valley create a lush floral opening, then step back, and the deep rosewood and copal resin comes forward. This is a supremely rich floral that darkens to a woody, resinous finish. 
• Elder Nerd - Scent Notes: Subtle moonflower and bright linden blossom dot a forest of dark oakmoss, rosewood and sandalwood. Stumble on a tiny woodland tavern full of adventurers and smoke, incense, tobacco absolute and myrrh. A drop of honey sweetens the story.
• Gooseberry - Scent Notes: Gooseberry and lilacs, and a touch of honey
• Huckleberry - Scent Notes: Wild huckleberries picked from a cedar forest in a misty, wet morning. Oakmoss, rain and cloudy skies
• I Said What I Said - Scent Notes: A strong, unrepentant blend of blood orange and black currant. Red musk, elemi, and black oud shimmer on a background of Egyptian musk and dragon's blood.
• Impending Doom - Scent notes: Red Mandarin and rich honey create a sweet first impression, luring you into smoke, patchouli, gunpowder and... Is that gasoline? Clearly, an evil plan is afoot!
• DreamCrusher - Scent notes: Sweet peach tea that's been left to steep a little too long with that edge of bitterness, like crushed dreams
• Glow Up - Scent Notes: Sparkling candied citrus peel, vanilla from the expensive hippie shop, Egyptian Musk, cuticle cream
• Black Rose - Scent Notes: wild rose, rich dark chocolate, fresh vanilla bean, burnt sugar, whiskey, bourbon, an old library in a dusty castle, patchouli, a cold creamsicle on a hot day, really good bacon.
• Blood Rose  - Scent Notes: English rose, honey, sea salt, dragonsblood.
• Briar Rose  Scent Notes: wild rose, lavender fields, a spellbound forest at night, a sprig of rosemary, cedar, freshly ground clove, bergamot.
• Flame Rose  Scent Notes: wild rose, cedarwood, smoke, leather.
• Glass Rose Scent Notes: white rose, white musk, white thyme, a summer rainstorm, neroli, gardenia, a perfectly ripe grapefruit, kumquat, orange blossom, neroli, red mandarin, fresh dalmatian sage.
• Steel Rose  Scent Notes: wild rose, English rose, white rose, woodsmoke, patchouli, dragonsblood, metallic copper, metal, smoky incense.
• Stone Rose  Scent notes: moss covered stones warmed by the sun and shining with a recent rain. Wild roses, heather, tuberose and labdanum blend with a drop of oakmoss
• Wood Rose Scent notes: Tiny wild roses blooming on the forest floor, rich, spiced rosewood, vanilla laced with patchouli and sweet resins

While I - obviously - love rose scents, I just want to tell people I'm a delicate f'ing flower and will now be doing that via scent!

Random Your time is a precious thing. Spend it with people who value it. Do things you love. And people who don't value your time, aren't worth it.

Take-away - If you want to be a skillful sailor, you learn to navigate rough seas. They are a blessing. Learn to embrace the blessing.

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Week 1 - June 2021 Musings

Did you know that peonies need the cold of winter to snap back and bloom? Sometimes I am the same - I need the quiet and dark to refocus my energy. I needed a bit less on my to-do list and a bit more time in my schedule for me. I hope you don't mind the break. (Peony picture for tax)

So what has been going on? I've been painting ALL the things in the house - walls, ceilings, book cases, furniture - ALL the things! And building furniture. And a bit of gardening. And reading. Pandemic levels of reading. And resettling myself after a pretty bad bout of depression. I get SAD to a lesser degree most winters. Throw in a pandemic, a break up, a house purchase, and the chaos of a new space = a much a greater degree. So I did a little re-set and gave myself the grace to just BE so I could get through the physical therapy on my hip, the winter, the memories of spring, and just everything. It worked! I'm back, sans limp - but I have an attitude. You have been warned.

Books? I read my entire 2021 planned amount. In escapist novels. (I have favorites, they show up in my Good Reads). I'm 75 books in.

New goal. I read non-fiction business during the week and indulge in other books on the weekend. It's significantly slowed my reading but I'm making some progress on enriching my mind.

Cooking? New stove came Thursday, we will discuss after that. Because I will be cooking ALL THE THINGS.

Gratitude? 35 year old me who thought a personal IRA was a great idea. The friends who visit my new space and do not suggest changes to their taste but understand I have a vision. My adorable kitchen. The new side porch furniture. 

Listening? Apple's lists have me pegged. I pick one and it rifts on things I like. Have discovered I like Fall Out Boy. (Will not be debating this.) 

Also a ton of Patrice Washington's Redefining Wealth podcasts and Don't Keep Your Day Job with Cathy Heller podcasts - they seem to inspire me and even out my keel. Right now, I'm all about that.

Watching? This week I finished Stumptown. Let's discuss how I can finish a TV series but not an online class. (Also a friend came to visit the new space and referred to my TV as a "cute little TV" - then asked where the bigger one is. That...is......it. That's the only one.)

Wearing? 

Yeah, I still look good for my age but who the hell knows about my skin? It currently hates facemasks on the regular, and I'm tired of fighting the wrinkles. Here's a picture of what I have going on this week - day, night, and mask.

Day (Skin)

Night (Skin) 

The Masks (Skin)

As mentioned, I've been fighting the maskne. I've got a whole regime of masks I rotate through. Here they are below. The Blue Magic and Mayala's Neem are my favorites but that Naturallogic hydrating mask is fantastic around the eyes.

Wearing (Perfume)

My perfume interest may have tilted into addiction. Kind of like when I need the full set of a book series. I think I may have an obsessive personality. (Shrugs.) I smell fantastic. Go explore the world of indie perfumes. Support a small business. It's good for your soul. 

Below is my latest indie haul from Death and Floral.

I bought a primer (the tin) to help make scents last longer. 

• Summer Camp Gothic - Scent notes: Dry oakwood absolute, browned marshmallows, cedar, black pepper, toasted vanilla
• The same way I am in love with the moon - Scent notes: Palo santo blended with smoked sandalwood and a lunar accord. Deep and reminiscent of a breezy night under a looming full moon.
• You belong among the wildflowers - Scent notes: Lemongrass and wild red poppies, blended with sunflowers, Spanish moss, and dogwood.
• Nothing rusts in the desert, the air is full of ghosts - Scent notes: Pink cactus flowers and sweet grass, with notes of warm rain and woody dry vanilla

And so far, I'm in love.

Random My Southern Gram passed a few weeks ago. The funeral was over Memorial Day weekend. And I realized as we progressed from illness to death to funeral that the experience of a single human life and how it is seen varies from person to person. People recalled things about her I could never imagine and would never have guessed. (Facebook memories and snippets of stories.) Other people, outside the family, shared memories as well - and it's funny because I was privy to Gram's take on those people and it does not jive with their impression of what she thought of them! In the end, despite what other people think, I suspect we are unknowable to all but the Universe (or God, if you prefer.)

Take-away - Nothing last forever...but while we are here, live with joy as often as possible.

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Week 3 - February 2021

You did not miss a week - I did! Spent some much needed "me" time working out things and de-fragging from the busy-i-ness wheel. Recommend!

Random: 

People make time for what matters.  People who cancel on you, again and again are telling you that you don't matter. Stop making time for them. (Note to self.)

Hello! I was on a podcast! Click to listen.

Books: There was a weekend binge. It made me feel MUCH better!

• Linsey Hall's Shadow Guild: Hades & Persephone series (3 books). Nice beach read. Nothing to write home about those.
• Linsey Hall's Shadow Guild: Wolf Queen 1st book (Darkest Moon). Laugh out loud on several parts of how this heroine things. 
• Lia Davis's Witching After 40 series 1st book (A Ghoulish Midlife) and a matching holiday novella, Cookies for Satan. This was actually better than the cover lead me to believe. Que Dolly Parton - don't judge me by my cover because I'm a real good book.

I'm slowly making my way through a book on fairytales. It's less groundbreaking than I thought and I don't like the way some of my favorites are being retold.

Gratitude: Pizza. Sweet kittens. Etsy vendors - because man they make personal style pretty easy! (Check out my new scent hanger for my car!) People who listen to you and don't project. Becoming okay with changes. Updating calendars. Dogs who don't mind sad days and snuggle. 

Listening: The Chicks. Apple has a playlist. (Although, Natalie Maines - it's not that uncommon for your husband's girlfriend's husband to tell you about the affair. That's how I found out. And why I got divorced.) What Would Dolly Do playlist, also on Apple. Not a podcast to be found. (Not even the one I was on - but I listened to it the week before.)

Watching: Dexter. I know it's weird but I find it very easy to follow and not requiring much brain power on my part (probably because I read the books.) and I've not even been watching much of it. Really just music, books and resting.

Wearing - Scent & Skin  

Scent

Imaginary Authors

- Telegrama  - Scent notes: Talc, Lavender Absolute, Black Pepper, Teak, Amyris, Vanilla Powder, Fresh Linens. The scent line up - heavy on the talc and the vanilla with a strong side of lavender- hasn't changed. But somehow I'm starting to like it more? Baffled that there is still anything left in the sample. I've worn it a couple of weekends now. 

Sucreabeille

- R.E.S.P.E.C.T - Scent notes: your mother’s expensive cold cream that she dutifully applied every night and now you do, too, mixed with fragrant, sumptuous black cherries. The longer I own this one, the more I like it. It's rich and incense laden - the fruit almost smells like smoke. The vanilla is hidden info a sweet richness.  Sillage seems to increase with age. This aged so beautifully into an amazing scent and I could wear it every day. I'm out. I miss it. I will be buying it again.

- Frozen Moon - Scent Notes: crisp winter evening air, frost, sweet sugar plums swirl with delicious marshmallow. Don't ask me explain, but this seems like a February scent. This is such a sweet scent. I continue to get a lot of sweetness off it crossed with fruit. It lasts well into the day and it drifts around me in a tiny cloud. Done with the little bottle. I've bought it a couple of times but I don't think I will  again. It's really too sweet to be me.

Skin

Still fighting off the maskne. I'm now doing a mask every 2-3 days. All the masks in my cabinet (tell you about them next time). And I added in the new eye cream, which is a lovely, softening bit of moisture and is a gorgeous green blue due to the tansy in it.

 - Day time - Standard in-shower wash of tea tree cleanser  - plus a buffing scrub (Essentially NOLA's Exfoliating Grains) - Naturallogic Elemental Advanced Hydration Red Wine Essence to restore moisture and fight off lines (go to the decollate too!), Fine Cosmetics Daytime Radiance Eye Serum tapped in around the eye with 3rd finger, then Votary day oil and Votary cream. And I'm now topping that off with the new eye cream, Aqua Aura by Earth Harbor Botanicals.

- Night time - 1st cleanse with 100% Pure's Blood Orange Cleansing Balm following with a 2nd cleanse with my DHC Washing Powder (for a little extra exfoliation) or the Natura Detox Wash. And I'm continuing to spot treating the rest. Earthwise Beauty's Yasumi Face Balm on the cheeks.  Blüh Alchemy's Multi-C serum on the forehead and around the eyes. Topped by the Live Botanical Sanctuary Barrier Balm around the eyes, on the forehead and neck. Frownies on the forehead because forehead wrinkles are aging. And another layer of Aqua Aura eye cream tapped around the eyes before bed.

Things 14 said:

I was telling her about what my physical therapist has me doing. (Also that his job is basically to boss people around having them do painful things.) 

"Sounds like a job a cat would like." And this is now how we determine if she will like a job or not.

Take-away - Look, you are the only one who can take care of you. And sometimes you need to do that first.

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