Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts

Monday, September 7, 2020

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:



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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Sunday, May 31, 2020

May Musings - 2020

Didn't the May mini re-open feel great? We are all a bit cautious but being able to be out again (even if just a bit) was good! I've been doing Saturday walks with tea and a friend. We had a take-out dinner on a blanket overlooking the lake. Small steps.

Reading (Books):  I gifted a local Little Free Library with a heaping handful of books which was a high point of my month! (See the red arrow for the donated set.)


Current book count: 59 for the year. 
And I read a ridiculous amount this month. Seriously. R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S.
- You Are a BadAss by Jen Sincero
- Double Down on Demons by Annabel Chase (Kindle Unlimited)
- The Messengers by Lindsay Joelle (Audible)
- Burying the Honeysuckle Girls by Emily Carpenter (Kindle Unlimited)
- The New Rules of Money by Rick Edelman (Little Free Library find). Seriously out of date.
- Once Bitten  and Wicked Deal, a new series by Linsey Hall (Kindle Unlimited)
- Books 1 and 2 of The Jezebel Files by Deborah Wilde, which was the best thing I've read in some time.  (Kindle Unlimited)
- Fangs & Fiction (part of the Library Witch Mysteries) by Elle Adams (Kindle Unlimited)
- High Stakes and Vampires (Pandora's Pride 2) by Annabel Chase (Kindle Unlimited) 
- Suddenly Psychic and Semi-Psychic Life from Elizabeth Hunter's Glimmer Lake series (Kindle Unlimited) 
- Knights Magica  by B.R. Kingsolver (finale? of the Rosie O'Grady's Paranormal Bar and Grill series) (Kindle Unlimited)
- All 4 of the Stolen Magic series by Jayne Hawke. (Which, after reading the first book of her Hidden Magic series is apparently a total repeat. And explains the name mix up in book 3 of Stolen Magic.) (Kindle Unlimited) 

 Don't judge me. There was a holiday weekend and I was recuperating from putting in the garden, which required laying quietly and reading while the aspirin did its thing for the back and knee pain. Also, Kindle Unlimited is amazing!


Cooking: OMG, so I cooked so much at the beginning of the month that I killed the oven! (I'm still pandemic cooking.) I was making a double batch of breakfast casserole (tater tots, eggs, green peppers, jalapeño and cheese) and the oven just did not heat up! That became a take-and-bake for Israel instead of me bringing it to her. Now I'm Stove-top Sally - peirogies, tortellini, black bean tacos, various macaroni salads, stirfries.

 Also I apparently now have batch cook days when I make like 2-4 meals so we don't have to think about it every day. (I still want a personal chef. #LifeGoals )

 Garden: I put in everything. Ghost peppers. Okra. Cherry tomatoes. Carolina reapers. Strawberries. Early Girl tomatoes. Lettuce. More broccoli. Serrano peppers. Red peppers like crushed flakes. Yellow tomatoes. Thai basil. Purple basil. Thyme.

 Some things came back as planned- the oregano, the tarragon, strawberries, mint. And that ginormous fennel. (I'm the only one who likes it and I never eat quite enough.

 Gratitude: Saturday chai latte and a walk. 
Aquatic cats. Cute face masks. Fun perfume. Dried strawberries. Hummingbirds at the window sipping flowers while Kali kitten watches. Garden shopping with Israel.* The view of my newly weeded garden - very over-planted with marigolds due to BAD BUNNIES who at the cold garden (but are still cute). Summer return of the farmer's market.

Listening:  Center Yourself sleep meditation. (So much).  A little bit to podcasts (Hello 7, Redefining Wealth, Planet Money, Rich Coach Club).  A LOT of Cocktails and Crooners. 

Watching: Killed off Designated Survivor, Season 3. (Hannah Wells deserved better.) The Good Witch, Season 5. And Martha Tinsdale is underrated. Claws, Season 3. Those girls wear a lot of pattern on pattern. I started, belatedly, with Ozark.  Lots of popular shows about laundering drug money - Claws, Good Girls, Ozark. How popular is this as a line of work?? 

 Also, so much Shark Tank. This is our new thing - Guy and I  watch old episodes and Google what happened to them.

Wearing (Perfume & Skin Care):
Perfume

Let's break it down between Sucreabeille and Imaginary Authors. Because I wore a lot of perfume this month.

Sucreabeille - I wore each just a few days rather than finish things off. 
- We Ride at Dawn. Scent notes: Hot black tea with honey and coffee absolute to rise early, cardamom vanilla for comfort, bitter almonds for the lost, a shot of whiskey for strength. I got bitter almond with a whisper of whiskey off this right off the bat. About 5 hours in the cardamon settled in with the whiskey and almond for the ride. 8 hours sillage, easy.
- The Mountain. Scent notes: amber, a pint of oatmeal stout, pure golden honey. The biggest feeling I got off this was warmth - like a morning hearth. And then oatmeal. So much oatmeal. I ended up mixing this for a more rounded profile.
- Toxic Masculinity Ruins the Party Again - Scent notes: A delightfully feminine blend of lavender, vanilla, honey nectar, and a light floral aldehyde. This is a very powdery, floral that dries down even more powdery. Nice sillage.
- Out West - This had been my sleep perfume but with the start of summer, I feel like it's a little heavy and have started mixing it with other scents. Scent notes: Gourmand swirl of honeyed chocolate with a smokey undertone of palo santo. Sandalwood, black musk, coumarin and a drop of camphor create a mysterious, dark undercurrent. It used to be the camphor hits first and I'd have a "WHAT" moment because it's got a medicinal scent. But it fades to warmth of the honeyed chocolate and sandalwood as the lingering dusky scent. (January description). Now, either the scent has shifted or my perception has. I get the honeyed chocolate and black musk right off with a later bloom of sandalwood and light touch of the musk.
- I Come From a Long Line of Terrifying Women - Scent notes: rosewood, whiskey, and amber, gunpowder, guiacwood, and tobacco absolute. Which just smells tobacco on me with some amber. I like it. Okay sillage. 3-5 hours. 
- GlitterTrash - Scent Notes: Watermelon Blow-Pops, baby powder, fistfulls of sticky white cake, last night's champagne and coconut cream. I decided THIS was my last week of May perfume after the long holiday weekend. Something in it - the baby powder? - reminds me of Toxic Masculinity. Right off, I got baby powder, coconut cream and the sticky white cake - also it is very possible there is glitter in this as my skin shimmered a bit. Sillage is light, about 3 hours. 


Imaginary Authors
- Whispered Myths - Scent notes: Natural Cambodian Oud, Cantaloupe, Cedarwood, Muskdana, Honey, Salvaged Shipwreck. I loved this scent! And oddly, everyone said it smelled floral on me. (Salvaged Shipwreck perhaps is a wreath of flowers?) And it easily lasted more than 7 hours.
- Memoirs of a Trespasser  - Scent notes: Madagascar Vanilla, Giaiacwood, Myrrh, Benzoin Resin, Ambrette Seeds, Oak Barrels. I get a lot of Vanilla and Ambrette seed with a touch of oak barrels. It almost smells like vanilla root beer. 
- Yesterday Haze - Scent notes: Fig, Iris, Cream, Tonka, Tree Bark, Walnut Bitters, Orchard Dust. Iris is not a strong scent. And this drifted off inside of a half hour to a vaguely creamy scent dusted with fig and iris. This became my second sleep perfume (basically for hot nights I felt this was a better option.) 
- Sundrunk - Scent notes: Neroli, Rhubarb, Honeysuckle, Rose Water, Orange Zest, First Kiss. With summer officially kicked off by Memorial Day, this seemed like the best way to celebrate - citrus and summer in a bottle.  This became my third sleep perfume - great for a night of summer dreams.
(If you are keeping score - I'd buy Every Storm a Serenade and Whispered Myths. Those deserve a longer wearing.) 

All Mixed Up
I did a weird thing. I mixed two brands. A City on Fire. Notes: Cade oil, Spikenard, Cardamon, Clearwood, Dark Berries, Labdanum, Burnt Match. Plus Out West - . Scent notes: Gourmand swirl of honeyed chocolate with a smokey undertone of palo santo. Sandalwood, black musk, coumarin and a drop of camphor create a mysterious, dark undercurrent. I made "Los Angeles" - because this feels like, name-wise, what Los Angeles would be.

 I also mixed Sucreabeille scents as well - The Mountain with Out West (code name: Sierra Nevada) because I felt like The Mountain needed a non-breakfest breaker scent.
Skincare

I read this scandalous article about less skin care. HAHAHAHAH. No. More is MORE, and choices are great. This month just proves that because I may have tried everything in my skincare kit.

 Day time - I started the month alternating between 1) the Lepaar Luminous Beauty Balm/ Moisture Lock + Stress Recovery (December 2019 Boxwalla Box) until I felt like it was too hot to wear that and started on  2)  African Botanics Le Masque Hydralift Intense (October 2019 Boxwalla box) which I killed in the first 10 days.  Most of the rest of the month, I used the Sweet Briar Hydrating Nectar by Heart of Gold (August Boxwalla find) topped with the African Botanics's Fleur d'Afrique Oil with a little Earthwise Farizad's Veil mix-in sun protector.  Still trying to beat back those eye creases with the 100% Pure's Super Fruit Oil Nourishing Eye Cream. 


Night time -  I just basically threw the kitchen sink at my night-time skincare this month.  You name something in my "arsenal" and I used it!  After cleansing with my favorite 100% Pure Blood Orange Cleansing Balm and DHC Face Wash (or a couple of fancy nights of Odacite face wash), and then gently daubing on 100% Pure night eye cream - I went crazy with options.  At the beginning of the month, I alternated between 1) the African Botanics Le Masque Hydralift Intense (October 2019 Boxwalla box) all over plus African Botanics's Fleur d'Afrique Oil  until I ran the Masque out or 2) the Lepaar Balm. 3) I did stray  a few nights and try Votary Super Seed Nutrient Cream (February 2020 Boxwalla box). The Super Seed cream is very emollient and just sinks into the skin.) And that became my go-to for the second half of the month. Love how this Super Seed just sinks into the skin and feels so nourishing. 4) A couple of nights, I tried the April Boxwalla - Monastery. the XX Rose Glycolic Gel is a great light exfoliator when topped by the Aloe Hyaluronic Moisture Boost. 5) A couple of nights I also threw the Sweet Briar Hydrating Nectar from August Boxwalla Box on top. I love the Heart of Gold products! 6) A couple of nights - hot nights - I put on nothing but the eye cream because my skin felt smothered.  7) A few days I also put on a bit of Bloom Facial Oil from Generation Bee on my neck and forehead but left everything else blank. 


 Random: I may like gummy vitamins too much.

 Our basement flooded with the big May rain. Days of dehumidifying and clean up. And a stupid Queen of Heaven tree is killing off my lilacs!  (Guy is unconcerned as he wants to remove things and create a porch - for the last 4 years.)

 Speaking of lilac, my new favorite candle has a scent like neon Lilac! WickedPop Candle Company's Do You Suppose She's A Wildflower. Gorgeous! 

Take-away: Sometimes you have to put yourself first. Self-care. Time alone. Rest. Remember, that's okay.

 *Israel, age 22. Oldest. Has her own home and garden.
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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Tuesday, March 31, 2020

March Musings - 2020

Hello! Virtual hugs to all. It's been a troublesome month!

 And I did what I do when stressed. I got plants. Broccoli plants. Strawberry plants. Columbine and peony plants to ward off deer. Seeds for beets, carrots and lettuce. All of these do well in early spring and made me feel productive.

 (I also had to bring office plants home - see below - and wow that was a cat-sized challenge!)

 Right now, I'm about making changes that work for me. Doing what works for me and simplifying every damned thing. So, there is a shake up in the topics!

 Reading (Books): Let the trumpets sound! I finally killed off that book of Irish fairytales I've been dragging around forever! (As one friend said, "It did not capture your imagination." No, it did not.) And I gave it away, so you won't be seeing photos of that cover in the book line-up any more! I also binged a new book and read useful things.
- Irish Fairy and Folk Tales by WB Yeats (editor)
- Smoke Bitten (Mercy Thompson #12) by Patricia Briggs
- The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity by Edwene Gaines
- The Checklist Book by Alexandra Franzen

 Cooking: March is a birthday month, so there were pies. Raspberry and chocolate chess. (They seem to have gone over well.) Then a request for berry cobbler.

 And then, the limited contact of coronavirus kicked in and we just kind of ate whatever was in the pantry.

 Gratitude: Good health. Kitten snuggles. Hugs. Friends who get tickets to cool things. Streaming services. Mail. Couch snuggles. Grocery stores trying their damned best. (Seriously. Say thank you.) Early spring gardens.

 Listening: Hello Seven podcast. Classical channel on Apple music. Cocktails and Crooners channel on Apple Music. Dave Ramsey podcast. Secrets of Wealthy Women WSJ podcast. 

 Watching: Good Girls. (All caught up with the current season!) Full first season of Blood & Treasure. (The girls in this have real fight scenes!)  Quantico , Season 1.

 Wearing (Perfume & Skin Care):
Perfume

People. I now speak in scent thanks to Sucreabeille. Go ahead... ask what I'm wearing!

 - Toxic Masculinity Ruins the Party Again - Scent notes: A delightfully feminine blend of lavender, vanilla, honey nectar, and a light floral aldehyde. - This is a very powdery, floral that dries down even more powdery. Nice sillage.
- Here's the thing, F*ck Everyone! - Scent notes: Bourbon, Rich chocolate, Dark amber, touch of dirt - I'm trying to figure out why so many of the scents have dirt in them... This one opens on the bourbon and the chocolate is lighter than some of the others in the line. Sillage is good but not extraordinary. 
- 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 get straight up rum and chocolate off this. After about 8 hours, I get a touch of lily. This lasts forever - like 16 hours or more on me.
- Irish Cream - Scent notes: Irish cream, salted caramel, espresso. Decided this is more of a beer perfume than red wine. The sillage is decent, 8-10 hours.
- Xanadu - Scent notes: fragrant white tea, grated ginger, saffron, a field of lavender swaying in a cool breeze, carrot seed oil, damp pine needles.I LOVE this one. The ginger makes it feel warm on the skin and gives it a clean spice sent. The pine needles is the tiniest bit medicinal - as is the lavender. The sad thing is that sillage is low on this - less than 3 hours on the skin for me and then drifts off.
- We Ride at Dawn. Scent notes: Hot black tea with honey and coffee absolute to rise early, cardamom vanilla for comfort, bitter almonds for the lost, a shot of whiskey for strength. I got bitter almond with a whisper of whiskey off this right off the bat. About 5 hours in the cardamon settled in with the whiskey and almond for the ride. 8 hours sillage, easy.

 (So sad that this Firefly scent is discontinued because I think this is my signature scent... I Can Kill You With My Brain: Amber, Tahitian vanilla, smoked patchouli, English rose, wild rose.)
Skin care
Day time - using  Mad Hippie's Vitamin C Serum then 100% Pure's Super Fruit Oil Nourishing Eye Cream and then top it off with FlowerSpice Soothe and Repair Daily Moisturizer from the April 2019 box. 

 Night time - After cleansing with my favorite 100% Pure Blood Orange Cleansing Balm and DHC Face Wash, and then gently daubing on 100% Pure night eye cream, I've been using the African Botanics Le Masque Hydralift Intense (October Boxwalla box) all over plus African Botanics's Fleur d'Afrique Oil. Winter is finishing out and my skin needs the extra moisture. Sometimes if we have to go out for the dog in the early morning, I'll do a rosewater spritz and then Bloom Oil on the corners of the eyes.

 And let's have an update about the FlowerSpice Soothe and Repair. It's nice...but with daily use I have noticed that my skin gets "hot" (red spots at the forehead and splotchy cheeks) if I use it morning and night. It actually does best for me if I only use it once every other day. Then, somehow, my skin finds it comforting.

 Also, no one thought I was 15 years younger. But I did get hit on a lot the week before lockdown. 

Random: I had a minor health scare that require a few in-office doctor procedures. Never underestimate the value of having someone to take you to that kind of thing; and, by all means, get your regular check-ups and catch stuff early! As a result of some of my clarity around that, I also took a new job. I'd been at my prior job for 7 years so that was a big change! This will also shift my stress. I had political and social stress at the prior position due to a misalignment with the culture (I think women should be in leadership, they didn't). Now I just have the stress of learning a new product line and audience!

 I made a scarf for Isy (22) and forgot to document it with a photo. So I guess that didn't happen! 

 Also, Roxanne and I went to a super fun Women's Expo (early March, before we all knew to self-isolate). We did all the things. We got fitted for bras. (I wasn't even close on the size I was wearing!) She got her hair styled. We made candles. We made perfume (mine is Jade, Rain, Fig)! We decided we might join the roller derby. All in the space of just a few hours! (And then we went to Trader Joe's because that place has the foodz.)

 Take-away - Only connect. (EM Forester). Don't forget that in this time of troubles. And be kind because it matters now more than ever.

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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