((little fat notebook))

Barefoot

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: behavior, feet, habits, pictures, shoes, socks

25 March 2014

I hate wearing socks and I generally try to avoid wearing shoes as well. This doesn’t seem to be commonly done though, since I often get comments from people when they see me not wearing socks. Is it such an unusual thing to do?

For a long time, it wasn’t anything that came up since for the most part of the past decade I’ve been living in climates that don’t get very cold. With flip flops and flats as the common footwear, it’s normal to not see people wearing socks. But now that I’m back in a place with a true winter (and quite a snowy one at that!), people seem to really notice when I take off my uggs and have no socks on. They also seem to notice that I walk around barefoot indoors, which I guess is not something you do in the winter? I’m surprised people have actually commented on it, which I presume means it’s something odd enough for them to say something rather than notice it and wonder to themselves. Well, all you wonderers, I do indeed leave the socks at home and off my feet unless absolutely needed.

In fact, the only time I do wear socks is with sneakers. What about you?

Escape Monthly March: Ireland Box Review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: boxes, chocolate truffle, guide book, ireland, irish, pictures, plants, products, remedy cream, reviews, shamrock seeds, shortbread, soda bread mix, subscriptions, tea bags, travel

24 March 2014

Ok, so the March Escape Monthly box had no sheep, but I still loved it. It was very much food focused, which is perfect for me because I can always use more snacks. We eat far more than we use other products, so this helps prevent an overstock of items. I’m sure Panda will be happy about that. 😛

Escape Monthly is just under $40 per box (with code for 20% off your subscription – see end of post) and comes with a variety of food, home, skincare items themed around a city. Each box comes with a Moon Handbooks guide for that region. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a lovely recurring referral commission program.

(click to enlarge and read full messaging)

Of course, who doesn’t think of green when you think of Ireland (particularly around St. Paddy’s Day?). I was actually surprised at how much green all the products have, giving it a very strong theme feel. I so wish I would have won this vacation… alas, hopefully I’ll win one eventually!

Here’s what came in the box:

Moon Handbooks guide to Living Abroad in Ireland – What a wonderful guide to have for any American looking to spend extended time in this beautiful country. I’ll certainly be keeping it handy for when Panda and I get a chance to go visit. And hey, maybe we’ll even be lucky enough to live there for awhile.

Human+Kind Family Remedy Cream – The fun packaging already sets the right tone. Then when I saw it’s all-natural and made in Ireland, this immediately got more bonus points. This cream is meant for all kinds of skin conditions, ranging from burns and scars to stings and sores. You can even use it for brittle nails! It has a cooling, herbal sort of scent that includes tea tree oil. I certainly feels soothing, but I’m going to have to use it more to see if it actually does anything to reduce irritation.

O’Neills Shamrock Shortbread – Mmm, what rich and buttery shortbread! I love the crunchiness and the sweet aroma. The shamrock shapes are large so there are only four cookies in the box, but each one makes a sufficient snack. This makes for a fantastic bit of Ireland that is just wonderful.

Butlers Mint Truffle – It says milk chocolate truffle on the card, but I actually got the dark chocolate mint. It’s a dark chocolate shell with a soft truffle center and little bits of crispy mint pieces. Yum! Certainly a very luxurious treat that tastes fabulous. Wow – it’s like a super fancy mint patty. I don’t usually even like mint chocolate!

Bewley Gift of the Gab tea – I can smell a strong tea through the plastic baggie inside. I haven’t yet brewed this, but it’s definitely the kind of tea I’d drink on an afternoon as a pick-me-up. If I was a breakfast person, it’d be a fabulous substitute for morning tea. Seems like it’s similar to Earl Grey.

Bewley’s Ground Irish Creme Coffee – Well, I don’t drink coffee so this is all Panda’s. I find it quite unique that the coffee grinds came in a can! I half expected them to be soaking in some creme or something. I’m sure Panda will like having a pot of this coffee – maybe we’ll even wait until his brother’s back so they can enjoy it together.

Hogan’s Brown Irish Soda Bread Mix – I’ve heard of soda bread, but I have no idea what it is exactly. I’m not even sure I’ve ever tried it, but it looks wonderful. As a huge fan of bread, I’m sure this will be much enjoyed (if I can make it well enough). I look forward to trying my baking with this product.

Auld Sod Shamrock Seeds – The bonus product is just precious. Shamrock seeds?! I love it and I can’t wait to get a little pot to plant them in. As soon as the plague of winter weather leaves us for good this year, I’m going to plant these! Think I’ll get any four-leaf ones? 🙂

I thoroughly enjoyed the items in this box. I actually discovered that there are variations and I’m quite happy with mine. The other type I saw had marmalade, soap, and a seaweed bath instead of the guide book, tea, and truffle chocolate. I already have the seaweed bath, own way too many soaps, and probably wouldn’t get around to opening a jar of marmalade for ages. What do you like most in the Ireland Escape Monthly box? If you want to sign up, try one of these codes (not sure which ones are still active): MEXICOESCAPE or YOURESCAPE for 20% off the lifetime of your subscription or GIFTESCAPE for 25% off.

Next up is Mexico next month! How wonderful that we’re getting another international theme. I love it! I expect some wonderfully bright colors and festive flavors.

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

On meanness

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: behavior, experiences, kindness, meanness, open letter, people

23 March 2014

Dear Universe:

Why must there be unkindness in the world? Why are there those people out there who are so selfish and self-absorbed they see nothing else beyond themselves? Why are there those people out there who seem to revel in the suffering of others? Why are there those people out there who put others beneath them?

I’ve had the misfortune of knowing some unsavory people. Kind of like those “mean girls” you hear about. They’re cliquey and make everyone outside of their group feel unwanted and undesirable. They’ll only be nice to you to get something from you (or trick you into thinking they’d changed, only to pull the rug out from under you). They take pleasure out of making fun of people, or at least that seems to be the only type of humor that actually makes them crack a smile.

Or, alternatively, why is there a bit of a mean streak in so many of us? There have been a couple of guys (and a gal or two) I’ve known throughout my life who have been viewed as a bit of an outcast. People would snicker behind their backs about their awkwardness or their strange choice of dress or whatever. They’d giggle to each other about some joke that he (or she) was the butt of. Few people were true friends to these unfortunate souls who didn’t quite fit in. I’d usually be nice enough to them, but I can’t say I embraced them as friends.

I generally try to be kind to people, but I’ve certainly fallen victim to this trap of ego (or whatever it is). There are people I’ve judged, probably unfairly, based on some trait of theirs that may not have defined them the way I let it. But to be consistently that way? To exclude people at every turn? I just don’t understand people like that. It makes me sad that anyone would find pleasure in feeling superior to so many around them. I try to just ignore it, but it’s hard to when I care so much.

I wish we could all be nicer creatures. Life already provides so many ups and downs; what purpose does making it harder for others serve? Oh right, to boost those people’s self-esteem. Selfish. There are those who would say to let it go, let karma take its course. But you know what? Karma doesn’t always get its timing right. Some people never get that kick in the butt they deserve in their lifetime. Life just isn’t fair.

But I sure wish it could be more so.

So hey, if you’re in a good mood, why don’t you make some more stars align and bring out more harmony? Our species could certainly use it.

Sincerely,

~Mary

Grocery shopping

laelene Post in lifestyle glimpses, stories，Tags: drinks, eating, food, ice cream, panda, pictures, shopping, tea

22 March 2014

This morning I had a massage scheduled at Massage Envy and when I was done, I decided to swing by Whole Foods to see if any of my drinks were on sale. There are a couple of brands of bottled drinks that I like to get there, but only when they’re on sale so I can combine that with the store’s case discount (buy one case, get 10% off). I was happy to find my favorite bottled tea brand, Inko’s, on sale. I immediately grabbed a dozen each of my go-to flavors: blueberry and white peach. Then, as I was checking the price, wondering what the original price was, I noticed the tags said clearance price. Now per my understanding, when something goes on clearance it’s not coming back. Sooo I tracked down someone who worked there to check and was heartbroken to learn that they are discontinuing this brand from their store.

variety of bottled teas on shelf at store, with large gap where inko's tea flavors are

I emptied quite a bit of the shelf.

Apparently they’d been trying to reorder it but couldn’t seem to get them from the company? Well, whatever the case, I was told that what was on the shelves was all they had and there’d be no more. Upon hearing this, I immediately went to get another dozen drinks, clearing them out of the rest of the blueberry and white peach and also getting some honeydew and original to try. The shelf was about half empty by the time I was done. As I pushed my cart out, the bottles jingled and jangled against each other and I was glad that I checked today.

Then after dinner tonight, I had a craving for ice cream. Panda mentioned a deal Giant is having where you can get a free pint of Giant’s own brand of ice cream when you buy a pint of Ben & Jerry’s. It’s their way of having you compare their brand to the brand name (and hopefully adopt their ice cream as your new fav). When we got there, we found that Ben & Jerry’s was on sale, so we decided to both choose our own flavors. We ended up getting 4 pints of ice cream for just $7.18 with tax! Now that’s a pretty sweet deal.

Petit Vour March 2014 review

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: beauty, boxes, pictures, products, reviews, skincare, subscriptions, vegan

21 March 2014

My very first Petit Vour box arrived! I like what I see and will keep them around for awhile.

Petit Vour is $15 per box (or as much as $30 for international subscribers) and comes with vegan beauty, skincare, and other personal care products. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program that earns you points towards free boxes (email contact@petitvour.com to say I referred you if you sign up!).

Laface Hydrating & Firming Body Lotion – This applies pretty well, but I’m not really into the scent. My skin does feel really good after applying it and it’s noticably softer and more hydrated. I’d have to use it more to see if there are any firming effects.

Lotus Wei Balancing Serum – Sweet! I’ve had other Lotus Wei products, but not the serum yet and I love serums. This scent is very calming and it’s supposed to promote inner peace. It applies a bit greasy, but very little goes a long way and I just kept rubbing it in. There’s a slightly cooling sensation on more delicate skin.

I.C.O.N. India Oil – Oh wow, this smells nice. There’s something very cultural feeling about it and I enjoyed getting the dryness out of my hair. I’ll have to make more use of this during the rest of these dry months. Feels great!

NCLA Nail Wraps & nail file – Well, these are… bold. I’ve never tried nail wraps before, so I sure hope I can apply them ok. I definitely appreciate getting the nail file too, since I don’t usually use them and would not have access to one. I think I’ll have fun with these even if they’re totally not my style. I never knew you’re supposed to apply clear nail polish first! Good thing I read the instructions.

California Naturel Skincare Set – The packaging on this is super cool, but then it opens to three little samples. Still pretty cool, but I thought it might be more exciting. There’s a cleansing gel, balancing complex, and nourishing cream. The gel is for all skin types and cleansed pretty well. Didn’t notice anything particularly different about it. The complex is for combination to oily skin and it immediately helped with my oily face. It’s quite watery but I love it! Finally, the cream is for dry to normal skin and I wasn’t a huge fan of the scent. Pretty good at moisturizing though.

What do you think of this box?

[This post mentions a referral program. Signing up and emailing contact@petitvour.com to say I referred you helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

Treatsie March 2014 review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: boxes, caramels, chocolates, pictures, reviews, snacks, subscriptions, treats, treatsie

20 March 2014

This month, the new premium version of Treatsie (which you’d get if you signed up after they changed their pricing) had a deluxe TCHO bar in addition to what I got. These bars are larger than the set of minis I have and include fun flavors like Galactic Gelato and Strawberry Rhubarb Pie.

Treatsie is $15 per box + $4.95 shipping and comes with artisan candy from 3-4 brands (I am grandfathered in for $15 for 3 brands and fewer items). That means about 6 or 7 different flavors of treats (or 4 or 5 for me). Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral link program.

CocoaPlanet Salted Caramel and CocoaMint chocolate bars: I didn’t understand the “pearls of flavor” until I bit in and found wonderful little pockets of caramel or mint scattered throughout the salted caramel and cocoamint bars/discs. It’s a nice round chocolate “bar” and there are directions on how to make hot chocolate with it. I think that’s a fabulous idea! I enjoy eating them as is too.

Big Picture Farm Cocoa Latte, Maple Cream, Chai, & Sea Salt & Bourbon Vanilla caramels: I’m not sure about the two with coffee and alcohol flavoring, since I like neither, so I think I’ll share them with someone else. I loved the chai, which tasted wonderfully of chai and gave me a nice warm sensation. The maple cream tasted like a pretty normal caramel to me and it wasn’t until I’d been chewing it for awhile that some of the maple and cream was noticeable. If subtle was their intention, they got that down.

TCHO Minibar Assortment: These are packaged beautifully and each comes with a fun description of the taste notes: there’s the PureNotes dark chocolate – extremely rich and “chocolatey,” the SeriousMilk “classic” milk chocolate with caramel notes, the PureNotes dark chocolate with layers of “fruity” notes, the PureNotes dark chocolate with light and “bright” notes, the SeriousMilk “cacao” milk chocolate with lush and fudgy notes, and the PureNotes dark chocolate with subtle “nutty” notes. Well, I know exactly what to expect with these! I’ve enjoyed the flavors I tried and I think these bars are a perfect little treat.

I’m still glad I’m locked in for the original box for now. I was plenty happy with the contents of this box and don’t feel too bad about missing on a large TCHO chocolate. Do you like the contents of the box this month?

How to store your lightning charger

laelene Post in how to guides，Tags: advice, apple, customer service, how to, iphone, pictures, technology

19 March 2014

For awhile, I’d given up on using the charging cable for my iPhone 5. It started to come apart and I had to tape it at the end near the lightning head. It would only work at certain angles and I had to either hold it in place or very delicately position it with the phone on a surface. So, I bought another charger from a third party, which I loved. Unfortunately, it wore down over time too and stopped working recently. I started using my Apple-made cable again, but it was always a precarious situation and I could never be sure my phone was charging.

Finally, this weekend I was talking to Panda about it and he mentioned the possibility of getting it replaced. I figured I have nothing to lose, might as well try, right? So while his brother was in town, all three of us went out to the mall and found a guy at the Apple store. When I showed him my cable, he started to tell me about how normal wear and tear is not covered on the warranty and since mine was all taped up, he couldn’t replace it. He said he personally goes through them all the time (um, that’s not saying anything good about your product…) and then he shared some tips on how to preserve your lightning charger and minimize wear on it:

1. Always ensure the cable is straight when plugged in, both on the end plugging into your device and on the USB end. The connection to those areas are the weakest, and consistent bending causes them to rip.

2. Make sure you pull the cable from the firm plastic head and not the actual cable. This will reduce strain on the cable.

3. Never loop your cable a few times to store it, since this bends the ends. Instead, fold it over twice, then loosely knot that, as shown in the picture. This keeps the ends from bending, once again protecting the weakest points.

example of recommended way to store lightning charger cable as shown by apple store rep

Did you know this is a better way to store your cable?

Now this is all fine and dandy, but why didn’t they explain it to me when I got my device? It’s kind of too late now. Panda’s brother immediately asked to speak to the manager and as we explained to him how the tips were helpful (but way too late), I suggested that this is the type of thing they as an organization can educate us on when we buy a device. Panda asked whether the fact that my issue is not covered in the warranty was outlined, so the manager pulled up the agreement and looked for where it said that. It was pretty ambiguous with language about normal wear and tear (which means what, exactly?) and he must have been in a helpful mood, because he decided to replace my cable *this one time* (they always say that).

Luckily, some persistence (and getting to the right person who could actually make an executive decision), a peppering of questions, and a polite but disappointed demeanor seemed to do the trick for us. I got my new cable, no other questions asked, and now I am better educated on how to take care of it. Hopefully, you’ve now learned something that will help you from damaging your cables too!

Homegrown Collective February 2014 review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beeswax, boxes, face scrubs, honey, lip balms, pictures, reviews, subscriptions, sugar scrubs, wood butter, wood polish

18 March 2014

I’m so thrilled about this GREENBOX! Honey is such an awesome theme and this one also incorporates beeswax. Not only are there items for your skin, there’s a really cool wood project too.

The Homegrown Collective GREENBOX is $39 per box + $9 shipping (or as discounted as $429 for an entire year, with options in between) and comes with fun and easy projects to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program you can apply to join.

Project #1, honey lip balm: This sounds lip-lickingly good. Honey in my lip balm seems like a great idea for soothing, creamy stuff. The honey dipper is so cute! I’m not sure if I want to get it all sticky and wet. For the tubes, I’m thinking I can decorate them and make my own blinged out versions. Sharpies and gems at the ready!

Project #2, honey sugar face scrub: What a simple, wonderful scrub. I’ve known that honey is good for killing bacteria and I could certainly use that for the acne on my face. It’s a strange sensation to put something so gooey on my face and it’s amusing that it’s such a sweet concoction. I’m a sucker for a scrub!

Project #3, beeswax wood butter: Now that I have a home, I am always looking out for ways to add personality to it with home goods. Coasters are certainly a welcome project to make and having a wood butter to help care for wood is fantastic. I’m looking forward to polishing things up! [update: check out the completed project!]

Then there’s the info card explaining the bee theme for this box:

If you want some of these kinds of projects for yourself, subscribe to the Homegrown Collective now!

Ridiculous things he does

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: behavior, goofball, panda, pictures, silly

17 March 2014

Upon approaching a tight right turn: “Is this the turn?” *slows down slightly, but nowhere near enough to clear the turn*

“Oh, missed it.” *keeps going* (this happened multiple times, same turn)

Upon reaching the doors of a restaurant, tries to open the left door. It’s locked and I open the right side door. The next time, he does it again. The third time… I warn him, but upon exiting, he tries to use that door again!

Upon seeing an ambulance approaching behind his car, he drives on the right lane until it’s getting close and then gets into the left lane. The ambulance is like 75 feet behind us as I get him to quickly return to the right lane and slow down/pull over a bit.

Upon driving down a road where a blinking yellow light became solid, it doesn’t phase him. As it turns red, I comment on stopping. He stops just in time, as an ambulance and firetruck rush out of the fire station. He didn’t even know the emergency light was a legitimate signal.

Every time, these things make me roll my eyes and go “ai yah” to myself. Hehe.

Ipsy March 2014: The Destination Beauty review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: boxes, ipsy, makeup, pictures, products, reviews, subscriptions

16 March 2014

Wow, quite possibly the worst bag I’ve received to date. Not a single item that I would use or plan on keeping. I’m also not sure why there were only 4 items this time – that’s never happened during my subscription. I might have to consider cancelling this and going exclusively with Beauty Box 5, which has been impressing me far more.

Ipsy is $10 per glam bag and comes with 5 or so beauty/skincare products. Bags are sent monthly with no option to skip. There’s usually a waitlist to get the subscription. They offer a referral program that earns you points towards free products.

be a bombshell eyeshadow quad in bora bora – I do like this palette better than the other one I could have received, but that’s the only upside. I mean, how else can I make it clear on my profile that I don’t want eye products? I indicated in multiple places in my profile, but IpsyMatch doesn’t seem to work.

Vita Liberata Luxury Tan Lotion – I’ve never tried tan lotion and I’m really not interested in it. There were three other items I could have gotten instead of this and I would have preferred ANY of them. This is the only item I don’t want – bleh.

bareMinerals marvelous moxie lipstick in Get Ready – Adorable little lipstick, but not a product I use. I’ll go for lip gloss, lip balm, even lip stains, but lipstick just doesn’t work for me. The other item I could have gotten instead is a lip gloss… why didn’t I get that? 🙁

Chella eyeliner pen in Indigo Blue – What a cool color, but way too bold for me. I might try eyeliner on a night out (which happens like once a year), but not something quite so bright in color. I could have gotten a BB cream or nail polish instead and I would rather have received either. Hopefully I can trade for something I’ll use.

The bag itself was decent and I like the concept of featuring artists, but everything inside was disappointing. If you want to trade, check out my FSOT list.

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