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.

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

Follow my blog with Bloglovin  - A new way to follow!

Week 4 - January 2021

Random: 

I miss the sea. 

People who do not take responsibility annoy me:

- We would love to see you. Come visit us. (Hell. Come visit ME! I don't have time to drive down there. Do you have time to come up here?)

- Figure out what I owe you. (Hell. Why don't you look up what it costs and offer your half? I'll let you know if it isn't enough)

- Let me know when you want to be on my show. (Hell. It's your show. Why don't you tell me when you have time slots. I don't know your schedule.) 

- I don't have your current address. (Hell. I sent you a link to the house I bought. What did you think that was? Also, every item I've sent you in the last 5 years had the same mailing address on it.)

- I did not know you were on Instagram. You never get suggested to me. (Hell, you read my newsletter. There is a link to Insta at the bottom of it.)

Trying to figure out if I'm being an unreasonable bitch or if I just know WAY too many women who don't accept personal responsibility for anything and want to put in the least effort possible while acting as if they are sooooo busy.

Books : Perhaps that is my issue. Perhaps I didn't read enough this week and it put me in "a bad humor."

Gratitude : Mermaid gloves. Painting. Cute cats. Lip balm.

Listening: Way too many people with judgements and ridicule about choices that are not theirs. And I'm done being nice about it because I'm not the person in your head. I'm flesh and blood and free will. 

Watching: Vikings. (The dog likes it too.) I did not finish it and don't remember it well - so I started over on Season One. It's more enjoyable than I remembered. I like the women's roles.

Wearing - Scent & Skin 

Sucreabeille

- We Are Stardust - Scent notes: Daisy crowns and sandalwood, a bouquet of peace lilies, vanilla cream fresh from Max’s dairy farm, and a drop of patchouli. We are stardust. Remember. And someone said I smelled good.  Sucre came up with both a patchouli and daisy that I don't mind. On me, it's a delicious cream and lily with a sandalwood base.

- 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. This has aged well. It's rich and incense laden - the fruit almost smells like smoke. The vanilla is hidden info a sweet richness. The older this sample gets the better I like it. Sillage also increases with age.

- Frozen Moon - Scent Notes: crisp winter evening air, frost, sweet sugar plums swirl with delicious marshmallow. This is such a sweet scent. I continue to get a lot of sweetness off it crossed with fruit. It lasts a good well into the day.

Skin

Change is good. This week adjustments were made to re-set the skin which has been unappealingly spotted of late due to the wearing of masks. (Mascne.)

 - Day time - Standard in-shower wash of tea tree cleanser  - plus a buffing scrub - followed by a third finger (gentlest finger) tapping into the skin of 100% Pure's Super Fruit Oil Nourishing Eye Cream (until I ran out), Naturallogic Elemental Advanced Hydration Red Wine Essence to restore moisture and fight off lines, then Votary day oil and Votary cream. 

The new eye treatment is Fine Cosmetics Daytime Radiance Eye Serum. A little less nourishing (read creamy) than I like, but seems to help the undereye. And eye make up is less smeary as a result. (If I gave everything more time to set that would help but I'm always in a hurry.)

- 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. And I've 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. Frownie on the forehead because forehead wrinkles are aging. 

Take-away - To all things there is a time. And patience is one of them. Watch out for what happens when it ends.

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

Follow my blog with Bloglovin  - A new way to follow!

December 2020 - Week 1

No snow. And a fresh month. And a box of chocolates to share. 

Confession, I've never watched that movie with the box of chocolate quote. And I never will. But there is something amazing about having beautiful food to share with guests.

Books: I painted and wrote this weekend. (Also, guests!) So, the only book that happened was an Audible while I did other things. Silverswift by Natalie Lloyd. 

I did start a really fascinating book. Maybe I'll be done by next week...and will share....

Cooking: I actually did cook! I made a tater tot casserole for oldest kidlet in the toaster oven. Apparently, I live in adventure! Because cooking in that thing is like living in pioneer days.

Liking the Hungryroot. Several of the stir fries were very good. But they send a TON of food. And I'm not going through it fast enough.

Gratitude: Friends who get you fun soaps (see below), and that feeling of new when you get to use them. Friends who come to dinner but bring wine, dinner and dessert! Pretty boxes of chocolates. Ridiculous eyeshadow names (night in werewolf woods, strange old shop) that let you have theme days at work without anyone realizing.

House:  I've now done the midwestern plastic on bad windows thing. Basically the whole house needs new windows. Adding it to the Go Fund Me campaign....

Listening: Dolly Parton's Apple Christmas playlist. (And Audible)

Watching: Godless. (3 episodes in.) Gossip Girl. (On the 3rd season.) I have a craving for headbands and scarves.

Wearing

Perfume

Ellis Brooklyn

- Myth - Scent notes: warm florals -  ambrette seeds, jasmine petals, musk. This was a Sunday afternoon spray from a sample and lasted deliciously into the morning. The musk anchors the jasmine petals with ambrette seeds providing depth. This is still my favorite of the set.

Sucreabeille

- Troll Food - Scent notes: melted chocolate, toasted marshmallow, sweet honey graham cracker. I've been very unstoppable about life and nothing short of a troll is going to stop me. (Mythical, not on-line. The on-line ones are nothing.) Maybe this is settling in but this week, while I still have cinnamon and caramel coming off this, I got more honey and marshmallow in the scent layers. Still very "gourmand". It lasts pretty well, most of a business day, on my skin.

Skin

We mixed it up just a little bit this week. Because change is good for you.

 - Day time - Standard in-shower wash of tea tree cleanser followed by a third finger (gentlest finger) tapping into the skin of 100% Pure's Super Fruit Oil Nourishing Eye Cream, then the Votary day oil and Votary serum. And I've added the Votary cream because my skin is starting to be dry for the winter. Moved the shot of Monastery Aloe Hyaluronic Moisture Boost on the forehead and neck to day time.

- 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. Added something new (from the latest Boxwalla Beauty Box) Naturallogic Elemental Advanced Hydration Red Wine Essence as the first layer to restore moisture and fight off lines. The follow up moisture set has remained Votary night oil and cream (via the Boxwalla). Plus the Grown Alchemist eye cream.

Random: Too many anniversaries and special dates and memories of better times crowded around together. Like taking sage and smudging the new house, having visitors to dispel the memories and create new ones is cleansing. I love having visitors at the new house!

Take-away - Life moves in seasons. Sometimes the rhythm is predictable. Sometimes things become unpredictable. Move through change like you would swim through waves. Keep your goals in sight like the shore. 

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

Follow my blog with Bloglovin  - A new way to follow!

August Musings - 2020

I'm in love with painting acrylics. It may be my new hobby! That and the awesome local farmer's market on Sunday mornings. And I think you should buy yourself some flowers. You deserve them! I got several sets from the farmer's market this month. This one is a combination of a couple of weeks. 

So what did you get up to in August?


Reading (Books):


Here's what I read this month.(And yeah, crazy amount of Kindle Unlimited. They are making nothing on me.) I continue to stress read with light fiction. 

- Orlando People by Alexander C. Kane (very very good) via Audible

-The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith via Audible (2 observations - 1) her fav food (pumpkin and chicken) would make her my dog's BFF and 2) so weird in 2020 to have an old white English (via Africa, but still) write for an African black woman. 

- Leveling Up #1 and #2 by K.F. Breene (Kindle Unlimited) - YESSS. Very good. More mid-life series.

- Psychic Dreams by Elizabeth Hunter (Kindle Unlimited) - this is #3 in her Glimmer Lake series. (Spoiler - what the hell? How did West not be the guy? Plot reasons I'm sure but I feel like West deserves some play.)

- Good to the Last Death #3 by Robyn Peterman - (Kindle Unlimited) this is an easy beach read but I've found better

- Hall of Blood and Mercy #1, #2 #3 by K.M. Shea (Kindle Unlimited) - this is a beach read

- Nora Black Midlife Psychic Mystery books #1, #2, and #2 by Renee George (Kindle Unlimited) Was kind of a fun romp. Don't expect much but it works at exactly that level.

- Witching for Hope by Deanna Chase (Kindle Unlimited) which is #2 in a series. I was not at all interested in this one but since I liked the first and am anticipating the 3rd, it seemed like I should read this one.

- Shifting Shadows by Patricia Briggs - this might have been a re-read. I feel like I know some of these stories. But I loved them all the same

- The Vine Witch & The Glamourist by Luanne G. Smith (Kindle Unlimited) - I'm in love with this "set in France in early 1900's with magic" series! I can't wait for the final installment.

- The Missing by C.L Taylor - actual BOOK! It kept me guessing but it took a while - like 3 weeks to read because it did not hook me in. (Dropped to the beach LFL)

- Rosemarked by Livia Blackburne - actual BOOK! found at a garage sales and I really enjoyed it. The storyline was fresh! (Dropped to the beach LFL)

Cooking: I made so much salsa! Just quick fresh salsa with farmer's market onions and jalapenos, my tomatoes and hot peppers and a bit of cilantro from the store. Also cobbler. 

Gardening: And we have deer. The war against them has commenced. They have eaten my tiny tomatoes to nubs and are scavenging my bigger tomatoes. I responded with Irish Spring. They responded by eating my Ghost Pepper and Carolina Reaper - someone's venison is going to be spicy.

Gratitude:  Evening painting without a plan. The return of eating out. (Patios). Farmer's market. Diva dog paws. Perfume. Garage sales and fun finds. Babies. (Not mine but related!) New soap day. 

Listening: I'm still not podcast listening very much. In all truth - I'm very busy and I kind of don't want to think in my down time. Lots of Cocktails and Crooners on Apple Music. Some Pandora (I've created a Tru-Torch channel that's heavy on the torch jazz. And I've been rocking that at work.) 

Watching: Alright so I liked it so much I re-watched, The Old Guard on Netflix with Charlize Theron. Also, I caught up on all the Agents of Shield. (Nice ending. I can work with that emotionally.)  The new season of US's Shameless is out (sans Fiona), and I caught up with the Gallaghers.

Wearing (Perfume and Skincare): 

Perfume

The perfume situation is officially crazy. It just never seems to go down - even though I've killed off some samples.

Imaginary Authors
- Yesterday Haze - Scent notes: Fig, Iris, Cream, Tonka, Tree Bark, Walnut Bitters, Orchard Dust. I like this one more the more I wear it - I think it's the fig, cream and tonka. It lingers better than any other IA perfume I've sampled  - morning application lingers into early evening. Would buy! (Killed off the sample)
- Sundrunk - Scent notes: Neroli, Rhubarb, Honeysuckle, Rose Water,Orange Zest, First Kiss. There is something about this like oranges just past the peak. Not one I'd buy again. (Killed off the sample)

Sucreabeille
 - I Come From a Long Line of Terrifying Women - Scent notes: rosewood, whiskey, and amber, gunpowder, guiacwood, and tobacco absolute. I decided I needed to honor La Gram Russe at the begining of the month - her birthday - with wearing this perfume. Because she was awesome and I miss her. It's still very heavy on the tobacco with an overlay of amber on me. I like it. Okay sillage. 3-5 hours. 
- Lady Swears - Scent notes: Bourbon, Tahitian Vanilla, Lemon.  I started the day at 4:15am for petcare and a 5am conference call with Taiwan. I was stood up 2 days in a row. This was the correct perfume for that!

- We Are Stardust - Scent notes: Daisy crowns and sandalwood, a bouquet of peace lilies, vanilla cream fresh from Max’s dairy farm, and a drop of patchouli. I hate patchouli  - but somehow Sucre seems to have come up with a patchouli that I don't mind. I'm not a daisy person (mostly they smell strongly of cat pee with an almost pleasant odor underneath for me) Yet somehow this scent uses only the "good" part of the daisy. This is a lovely scent and a lesson that you should TRY NEW THINGS. For me, it's heavy on the cream and lilies with a backing of deep sandalwood and a sweet dry down to the faint touch of a creamy daisy invoking floral that has only the good parts of the daisy. Sillage is about 4-5 hours. (I bought it for the name. I wore it because I wanted to feel magical. Totally fits the bill.)
- Toxic Masculinity Ruins the Party Again - Scent notes: A delightfully feminine blend of lavender, vanilla, honey nectar, and a light floral aldehyde.  I've now decided this is a weird mix of powder/honey. It's sweet, but dry smelling and goes more powder the longer it is on. (Late in the month I started getting "smoke" off this.) Nice sillage.
- Rictus - Scent notes: Funeral wreath of white lilies and black orchids sprinkled with a dusting of graveyard dirt.A somber wake feast of dark chocolate drenched raspberries and a shot of dark rum. I think this dram might be self-filling. It never runs out!   I get strong upfront rum and chocolate with a settle down to a lillied chocolate in about 6-8 hours. This scent basically lingers until I wash it off.
- Mouthy Broad - Scent notes: a cloud of cigar smoke, freshly picked roses, a full glass of whiskey. I don't know. This just felt like T-H-I-S  was my description of who I felt like internally. I got absolutely no rose off it. Cigar and whiskey with a floral hint. And it lasts a good half day for sillage.

- RESPECT - 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. Now that this has "rested" and is officially my night perfume (because that is a thing now) I get a lot of cherry and dark vanilla off this. It's still sexy cupcake but richer smelling.

Skincare

- Day time - Started the month out with my standard a shower wash of tea tree cleanser and swipe of Rosewater Witch Hazel (Dr. Theyer's, obviously), followed by a third finger (gentlest finger) tapping into the skin of 100% Pure's Super Fruit Oil Nourishing Eye Cream. I got a sample of Dr. Hauschka's Restorative Day Cream as part of a sample (BeautyHabit.com - excellent beauty curators) and pretty much used it all month. Towards the end of the month, I broke out the 5Yina Lucent Hydrolat and Lucent Beauty Oil as it was hot and that's the perfect pair for that. 

- Night time - 1st cleanse - 100% Pure's Blood Orange Cleansing Balm followed by a 2nd cleanse with  with Boxwalla's June cleanser, Nini Organics' Detox Foam Cleanser - which does the powder to foam thing that is so cool! I bought this new eye cream called "Grown Alchemist" which makes me laugh. (Beautyhabit had it on clearance). It's basically vitamin E and sunflower oil with a few other things. But I like how it melts into the skin. I've been topping that with the Boxwalla beauty box's Votary Super Seed cream. Very rich. My skin has been, despite the heat, looking a little parched.

Things 13 Said: Not much. She was gone a lot of the month. And since she will be 14 next month, she's doing the teenage thing where she lives in her room and we never see her.

Random: 22 (Israel) made me go with her garage sale hunting. And I have found a water carafe with cover/cup. $2. It makes me delighted!

Take-away: This time of year can feel like things are winding down. It's the perfect time to dream about how you want to finish your year. I know the pandemic has stressed a lot of us out. But there is still hope, and beauty (and babies!). Take a little time to dream about the rest of the year and to dream about what you want next.

PS - I'm moving to 2x a month posts. So much happens in a month right now that nuances are lost and these posts are starting to feel generic. I hope you like the changes!

Original musings posts you may enjoy:

- July Musings - 2020

-  June Musings - 2020
- May Musings - 2020
- April Musings - 2020
- March Musings - 2020
- February Musings- 2020
- January Musings - 2020
- Musings - December 2019
- Musings - November 2019
- Musings - October 2019
- Musings - September 2019
- Musings - August 2019
- Musings - July 2019
- Musings - June 2019
- Musings - May 2019
- Musings - April 2019
- Musings - March 2019
- Musings - February 2019
- Musings - January 2019
- Musings - December 2018
- Musings - November 2018
- Musings - October 2018
- Musings - September 2018
- Musings - August 2018
- Musings - July 2018
- Musings - June 2018

- Musings - May 2018
- Musings - April 2018
- Musings - March 2018
- Musings - February 2018
- Musings - January 2018

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!

Life Bootcamp

So, when you need to work through some things, what do you do? I apparently create books! 

I have been feeling absolutely wrung out lately. Stretched to the max and then some. Like I lost my mojo. I needed to step back and reboot my life on a couple of levels. I did. And you can, too. That's why I wrote this guide. 

Click here to be taken to Gumroad, a secure platform for creatives. You can check out this book or one of the others I've created. (One of them is free, too!)

Follow my blog with Bloglovin  - A new way to follow!

Musings - April 2018

It was a double travel month book-ended at the front and back of the month - which always seems to mean I run out of time - so I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date! (April!)

Books: Well, I didn't read everything in the picture but I did read more books than that! I finally managed to finish off The Way of the Witch - I do not recommend it, a mis-mash of mythologies and too wordy, to boot! (Off it went to my little free library!) On the subject of mythology, I finished Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology which was a grand retelling of the myths. I finished Finding Your Dream Network by J. Kelly Huey on the way home; and Career Kred by Ryan Rhoten on the way to Fort Worth. (And then spent quality time with the author at a Barnes & Noble later in the month!) I also discovered the Rylee Adamson series which is completely binge-worthy! The first 2 I picked up in paperback, and then I discovered Kindle Unlimited... $9.99 a month, and you can check out 10 books at a time! I powered through the whole 10 book series over the month + the first two books of the follow up series. Kindle Unlimited is very dangerous...

Gratitude: Lilac blooms. Unexpected parties. Kittens.

Listening to new podcasts. Bouquets of tulips. Clip-on earrings. Business insights by smart women. Quiet time while traveling. Good travel companions. Crazy laughter from "double chicken" and bi-pedal beavers.

Listening: Land of podcasts -->Marketing over Coffee. Susan Hyatt. Business Boutique. Chalene Johnson. Plus a whole lot of music by Halsey. (Castle is my new ringtone. Just saying...)

Perfumes: I continue to try to kill off the  Paper Flowers from Love and Toast - which I found out is by the same nose as my beloved Library of Flowers! I love that she created budget friendly and more exclusive options! My go-to alternative for the month was Pacifica's Jasmine Lime. This is a wonderful time to love natural products - there are more every day! The options are never-ending. Temptation is here, too, as I've found new perfume to try which I am on count down to buy!

Recipes: Something new month continues! I made Applesauce Bread. Similar to standard zucchini bread in recipe, but spiced out like Jericho's Apple Pie.

3 beaten eggs

3/4 cup of oil (EVOO)

2 cusp sugar 

1 tbsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

3 cups flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp clove

2 cups applesauce

Mix the beaten eggs and oil together, then add sugar and vanilla. Slowly hand blend all of the dry ingredients into the liquid/sugar mix. (I mix up all the dry ingredients, except the sugar, in a separate bowl.) When everything else is mixed, add the applesauce. Pour into 1 large flat pan or 2 loaf pans.

Bake at 325 for 1 hour.  When a fork comes out clean, the bread is done.  

Self-Care: From last month's fun surprise box from Kismet, I pulled out the Kismet bronzer to try while I was in Fort Worth (pale legs aren't a Texas thing.) It's fantastic! Easy to apply, non-streaky. You couldn't ask for more. And, while attending 2 marketing conferences, I managed to meet two separate people who specialize in natural beauty! Now I have two new lines I want to try!
- Au Naturale Cosmetics (colors look gorgeous!)
- Wild West Skincare (organic at the next level)

Stress: Being forced to listen - for hours - to the others' inanity at a volume usually reserved for stadium concerts. Oyi. Headsets only go so far.

Things 11 Told Me: 
- See the pile of pink glitter on the beach? It's a dead mermaid.
- Everyone knows that if you have a yellow dot on the inside white part of your left eye, you're a clone.

Watching: So much HGTV and Chopped. Crazy amounts at every hotel. I recognize a watermelon radish on sight now!


Random: 1) So, 18 (the artistic one) won an art award! And 2) if you are going to Fort Worth, I recommend the restaurant Reata. Oh my! The food is amazing - there's also a great rooftop bar and a cigar bar! 

Take-away - Sometimes you only improve by inches. And that's okay. Give yourself the grace of time.

Original musings posts you may enjoy:

- Musings - March 2018
- Musings - February 2018
- Musings - January 2018

- Musings - December 2017

- Musings - November 2017

- Musings - October 2017

- Musings - August 2017
- Musings - June 2017
- Where Did March Go?

- Musings - February 2017
- Musings - January 2017

- Message in a Bottle (2016)

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

Follow my blog with Bloglovin  - A new way to follow!

Musings - December 2017

'Tis the season! And right now, there are two types of people. 
- "The holidays are wonderful!"
- "Ugh, the holidays."

And some days I fall in both camps. It's a complex time of year and can be emotionally challenging for many - including me. So, these were the best and worst of the month.

Books: Sometimes when I'm stressed, I have a hard time sleeping. A little time with a book before bed helps. So I've made it a point the last month to take the time to wind down. Because of that little habit, I managed to finish 5 books! (It only looks like 4, because one has two). I was lured in by Lagom's cover. It really wasn't worth the $13 that I impulsively paid at Target. There is a Swedish flair to the idea of frugality, reduce, take time for the family, etc but it's certainly not new. Anita Blake, vampire hunter, has another outing in Bullet but it's almost formulaic at this point. The Furies was an interesting pick-up at my local Little Free Library (but it will be going back). The best find was a two-in-one pick up of The Innocent Mrs. Duff and The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding. At some point in my life, I purchased this two-in-one book of mysteries on a whim. It was a good whim. Her books are brilliantly written and hold up well to the test of time. They are exactly the kind of reading you hope someone would leave behind at beach cottage or holiday rental.

Gratitude: The garden that never stops! We pulled out carrots on December 2nd. (And kept harvesting the parsley, mint and thyme until mid-December.) The carrots intrigued me. Some were nearly full size, some were very small. All were planted in mid-May, so I'm not sure what the difference is!

That some skills, once learned, don't fade. We've been crocheting scores of yarn roses for an upcoming event. La Gram Russe taught me to crochet the summer I was ten. I remember it vividly. And that's good since I hadn't crocheted in about 10 years! But like swimming or riding a bike, it comes back.

Free will. You can choose to change. You are the only one who can make that choice. But if you don't put the choice to action, it's just a wish. I'm also grateful for those who help facilitate self-change by reminding you that you can not change other people. (And may I recommend a book called "Boundaries" to help you learn when to say no, especially to family and how they treat you?)

Listening: Since the latest update, my iPhone has been a little temperamental about pulling up my podcasts. (I do not enjoy hard rebooting every morning to just to pull up podcasts.) It's made listening less easy and if it's not easy - it doesn't happen in my world. I think I hit Sidehustle about once a week and nothing else. Plus, with the season, the soundtrack has been heavy on the holiday playlist. Bonus - a few of the kidlets like Gumbo Christmas and Straight No Chaser, so I have musical allies in the household!

Perfumes: I've been trying to kill off a very large bottle of Paper Flowers, as mentioned last month. And for a change, the occasional splurge of Majalis. I've also tried different lotions to change the base. Small variations. Sometimes that's just what you need.

Recipe of the Month:  This month, it's all about easy in my life. We totally went semi-homemade on a bunch of stuff, including sugar cookies. We had a BLAST decorating them!

Cassie (11) likes to make deviled eggs and pigs-in-blankets. And her teen-age brothers love them. So, we often make those two things during holidays. And this year, The Guy made a delicious treat with cream cheese and crescent rolls. So, with one extra ingredient, we were able to add-on an delicious and easy new treat!

Creamy Crescent Treats
- One pack of cream cheese (we used garden vegetable)
- One pack of crescent rolls
Open and unroll crescents as noted on package. You can use at that size or cut down for more appetizer-sized rolls. Add a dollop (or 3 if using full-sized) of cream cheese and roll up the rolls. Cook according to package directions. Easy!

Tip - you can mix in chopped green onions to the cream cheese for an extra fresh delicious option.

Also, Israel (19, Isy) has taken a liking to the protein balls I make and asked for the recipe.

Peanut Butter Oat Protein Balls
- 1 cup quick cooking oats (also reserve additional for later)
- 1 cup unsweetened, natural peanut butter
- 1/2 cup of honey
- 1/2 cup of chia seeds or flax seeds or a mix, optional
Mix all in a bowl. Scoop out a tablespoon, and on a wax paper surface roll into a ball, then coat with extra oats. Stored tightly, these will last a week in a refrigerator or a cool room.

Self-Care: It is the time of  year when dry skin reigns supreme. In addition to the usual oils (almond, apricot, coconut, olive), I've added some lotions and creams. There was a sampler of Hempz's lotions that caught my fancy this month. My love for roses continues. And I've picked up a rose hand cream (Caswell Massey) and a lovely British rose body cream from the Body Shop. Plus, Caswell Massey has a lovely Apothecary Sampler filled with different kinds of floral waters, including Rose! I've been adding that to my dry clay masks for a gorgeous good skin, scented treat. (Also perfect for toner post-mask.)  And yes, that is a new Rose Miscellar Water I'll be trying this month!

Watching: Binged whole seasons. Yep. Not even guilty. Heavy watching while crafting, wrapping, and writing. Inhumans. Shut Eye. Pure. 

(I track info and details better in large quantities. Weekly watchings just don't work as well.)

These are a few of my favorite wraps this year. I like using "everyday" materials when wrapping and finding ways to make things pretty. I love that the same materials can be used another day! My frugal "waste not" soul rejoices.

Random: I've recently discovered drug store leggings and a really awesome drugstore organic face oil (more soon). I now feel about 100% more confident that if a witness protection situation arises, I can adapt.

Happy holidays!

Take-away - Give yourself the gift of the time and space you need to process whatever gets thrown your way. 

Original musings posts you may enjoy:

- Musings - November 2017

- Musings - October 2017

- Musings - August 2017
- Musings - June 2017
- Where Did March Go?

- Musings - February 2017
- Musings - January 2017

- Message in a Bottle (2016)

All photos by moi! 

Follow my blog with Bloglovin  - A new way to follow!