((little fat notebook))

Treatsie January 2014 review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: bars, boxes, brittle, candies, caramels, chocolates, food, nuts, peanut brittle, pictures, products, reviews, snacks, subscriptions, treatsie

17 January 2014

Did you decide to upgrade to the new premium version of Treatsie? I’m super curious what they looked like compared to what I got. Based on the Treatsie site, it looks like I didn’t get the Avenue Sweets caramels, which I’m ok with since I already had them from another month. I wonder if the larger box included all three flavors of the Popbars though. Let me know if you upgraded and share what you got!!

Treatsie is $15 per box + $4.95 shipping and comes with artisan candy from 4 brands (I am grandfathered in for $15 for 3 brands). 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.

Popbar Milk Sipping Chocolate and Dark Sipping Chocolate bars: I’m really happy we got these to try! I’d seen them on a blog once and was curious about them, but never got around to finding them. I immediately texted Panda that I wanted to get milk once I saw these, lol. We don’t normally drink any, but for this I’m totally willing to get a jug. Chocolate milk is about the only form of milk I can enjoy without feeling nauseous, so I’m super excited! I hope it dissolves well, as I can easily see this globbing at the bottom and requiring much mixing to distribute evenly.

Brittle Brothers Gourmet Peanut Brittle: I fumbled around with this in the dark before finding out how easy it is to open. It’s a simple little thing, but being able to pry the plastic apart without scissors or teeth is pretty satisfying. And I didn’t even have to worry about pieces flying everywhere from ripping too hard (I’m sure we’ve all had that happen with a bag of chips). I wouldn’t so much call this peanut brittle as I would candied peanut clusters – it’s definitely got much more on the peanut side than most brittles! That’s nice in the sense that you’re getting the wonderful crunch and flavor without as much sugar overload. Of course, preferences will vary and maybe you want more sugar than nuts. It’s a draw for me.

Lillie Belle Farms Lavender Sea Salt Caramels: First of all, I love the packaging on this. I like seeing the product and the delicate sense I get from it. I felt bad having to open it, but hey these treats are meant for eatin’! I enjoyed the flavor tremendously – a light lavender scent with just enough salt to give it great contrast. It’s a rich treat that is very satisfying with just one piece. I’m a fan of dark chocolate and I think pairing that with the lavender makes for a delicious combo. I do wish the caramels themselves were a little firmer and the caramel to chocolate ratio was more evenly split.

I was perfectly happy with the contents of this box and don’t feel like I missed out by not getting the premium box. We’ll have to see what next month brings, but for now I’m keeping my original subscription! What would you like to see to upgrade to the new box?

[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!]

365great Day 308: subs

laelene Post in 365great，Tags: 365great, eating, food, pictures

16 January 2014

Sandwiches are so much tastier in sub form. I find the bread to be an important component of the experience and I love how many ingredients get stuffed in. You can have hot subs or cold subs and get endless combinations of flavors. It makes for a versatile meal, whether you’re enjoying lunch, dinner, or a snack. Wrap them up in wax paper and you can generally eat them without too much of a mess while keeping your hands clean. There are so many delicious sandwich shops serving subs now and each has their unique offering. I get Firehouse Subs when I want something sweeter, Jersey Mike’s when I want something more tart and refreshing, Quizno’s when I want something rich in flavor, Santini’s when I want something spicy… the list goes on! I’m a huge fan of the range of choices within this one meal type. There are all kinds of great options!

A week of yo-yoing

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: illness, sick, work

16 January 2014

I’ve been ill for a week, but not entirely. I’ve had so many ups and downs that I can’t figure out what’s for real anymore and when I might get better. Take today, for example. I started off the day strong, almost feeling better. The morning was filled with meetings out in DC and when I got back to the office, I was doing ok. But then in the afternoon I started to crash, hard. I couldn’t think straight. I could hardly keep track of what I was doing. I had very little energy for anything requiring effort. By 5 I had just about given up on getting anything else done.

This week has felt like a month and it’s been rather stressful. My mind is so foggy I don’t trust myself to make sense. Sometimes my eyes hurt so bad I can’t see properly (especially alarming when I’m driving home). Sometimes my head hurts enough to halt all thoughts (or at least jumble them up). I can’t even focus enough to write a blog post the way I want. In fact, I’m pretty useless in anything but consuming content. I’ll stop producing awful content now and try to regain my sanity.

365great Day 307: mountains

laelene Post in 365great，Tags: 365great, mountains, nature, pictures, views

15 January 2014

One of my favorite sights is a mountain range in the distance or the craggly peak of a single mountain breaking the skyline. They come in such beautiful shapes, sizes, and colors. It’s so cool how there are rocky ones, lush green ones, snow-capped ones, and various combinations of other looks. You might find a forest covering them or boulders lining their sides. Some could sustain you for a lifetime while others are the harshest of environments. The diversity is fascinating. And no matter what, if you find yourself atop one and peer out… you’ll find a breathtaking view. Sometimes it might be a valley or a lake, or other mountains. Being up that high shows you how small everything else can become. Getting away from your normal life and surroundings can be empowering. Climbing mountains is quite rewarding! What a great way to connect with nature.

Ipsy January 2014: 19 Reasons review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: acne, beauty, boxes, elizabeth mott, eye cream, eye pencils, leave in conditioner, lip balms, makeup, malin+goetz, pictures, proactiv+, products, reviews, sexyhair, skiin, skincare, subscriptions

15 January 2014

I just received my first Ipsy bag for 2014 and I’ve got to say I’m rather underwhelmed. The bag design makes me think of airports and all their reminders of what you can and cannot bring through security. I got an eye shadow yet again (how many times is this going to happen even though I indicated NO interest in eye products??). The thing I’m most interested in is actually the Proactiv+ Mark Fading Pads – if they work.

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.

I didn’t get the theme this month. Is there some significance to the number 19? Maybe they just ran out of ideas.

sexyhair soy tri-wheat leave in conditioner – At first I thought they’d sent me a repeat product, but a more careful look made it clear that I had previously received a hair spray before and this time it was a leave-in conditioner. I’m totally cool with that and will definitely give this a try. I haven’t used a spray-on conditioner, so this will be cool (especially after I just wrote about how I love sprays and the way it distributes more finely). I don’t usually use a leave-in conditioner but I probably should since my hair needs some help retaining a conditioned appearance.

skiin Soothing & Smoothing Eye Cream – I don’t use eye creams so I’m going to try to trade this. It’s a pretty good size for an eye cream and would last quite awhile! I have plenty of unused ones though, so if someone else is interested in this I might as well try to get something I’ll get around to using. I’ve never heard of this brand and I’d like to try something of theirs another time.

(malin+goetz) mojito lip balm – This is a pretty cool product with a unique flavor. Can’t say I’ve ever had a mojito-flavored anything before. There’s a lightly refreshing taste to it and it comes out in a clear, somewhat gooey liquid form. I can see it being very effective in keeping the cold air from drying out your lips. It’s slightly more sticky than lip balm but not quite as shiny or sticky as lip gloss.

Elizabeth Mott Smooth Shadow creamy eye pencil in Penny – I have nothing against the brand, but since the product is an eye pencil, I was disappointed to get it. The color is a coppery shade that looks nice. Still, I’m totally going to put it up for trade along with almost every other eye liner and pencil and shadow I’ve gotten. I wish Ipsy would really cut back on sending me those products. I don’t know how else to make it clear on my profile that I don’t use them!!

proactiv+ Mark Fading Pads – The most intriguing products of the bunch! My acne problem has seemed to calm down a bit as my body shifts focus to fight whatever illness or infection I might have contracted, but I still have awful scars. I’m really hoping these work because I could really use something to get this acne issue under control. I really thought things would have gotten better by now! Why don’t they warn you that acne problems last long past your teens??

If you’re interested in a trade, let me know and check out what else I have up on my FSOT list.

365great Day 306: mini golf

laelene Post in 365great，Tags: 365great, mini golf, mini golfing, pictures, putt putt golf

14 January 2014

As I’ve mentioned before, I had quite an experience with mini golf (or putt putt golf as I called it) back in second grade. Since then I haven’t gone much, but I’ve had fun whenever I did. They have some really creative obstacles and it’s an entertaining way to practice various skills ranging from precision to timing. You can challenge friends and spend quality time with them, free to talk and enjoy each others’ company. I find it to be a nice way to bond and enjoy a leisurely yet playful time. I’m not very good, but it’s awesome when I do have those moments of that one good shot. What a great feeling!

365great Day 305: shrimp & grits

laelene Post in 365great，Tags: 365great, food, pictures, shrimp and grits, southern cooking

13 January 2014

O.m.g. My friends who recommended I try shrimp and grits when I went down to Myrtle Beach were sooo right. It’s such a rich, wonderful dish! I absolutely loved it and I’m definitely going to have to have some any time I’m in the south. I love shrimp, I love grits (and corn in almost any form), and I loved the little fresh tomato bits that this particular restaurant served on top! Maybe I should have been a Southern girl because I love cajun food and much of what you find in the southern states. Perhaps it’s because they use amazing spices to create such fragrant blends of tasty goodness. I might just have to move to the south at some point so I can eat that food all the time! Dang, that was some good shrimp. And grits. Whoever came up with that dish… kudos! It’s great.

Spiral cutting

laelene Post in video blog，Tags: food, machines, mall, products, snacks, technology, videos

13 January 2014

We got an Amazon Prime trial this weekend, so I’ve immersed myself in taking advantage of that before it expires. That means tonight I’ll just share a quick video. I love machines that cut, slice, dice, and otherwise make food more manageable and fun. This one doe a spiral cut on potatoes, which I totally want! I also want the spiralizer that’s supposed to make zucchini noodles or something like that. Yum.

spiral cut potato machine from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

365great Day 304: sprays

laelene Post in 365great，Tags: 365great, beauty, mists, pictures, products, skincare, sprays

12 January 2014

Whoever invented spray tops is pretty genius. Perhaps it was inspired by our sneezes, which often produce a fine mist of sorts and more evenly distributes particles across an area. Splashing liquid on yourself versus misting it over yourself is such a different experience. Sprays just feel better and help cover more area with less stuff. They’re so refreshing and fun to use with just about any sort of light liquid. For the most part, I use it for beauty and skincare purposes, but it can be useful in the kitchen too. I’d love to try those new spray-on lotions someday to see if they are more effective than globbing on lotion the way we do now. Even with the cleaning fluid with our windshield wipers, you’ll find sprays are the perfect way to cover a larger area more finely. In general, they’re a great way to get more bang for your buck!

Fabletics Moon Outfit (Leon tank + Nadi leggings) review

laelene Post in reviews，Tags: athletics, clothing, leggings, pictures, reviews, subscriptions, tank tops

12 January 2014

I recently came across Fabletics by Kate Hudson and JustFab, which is a women’s athletic wear subscription service. Like the subscription boxes I get, you pay to get something delivered to you monthly (though there is always the option to skip!). In this case, they put together outfits for you and you can select from the three chosen for your profile or skip if you don’t like any of them. If you forget to skip, you’ll be charged for the month and you get 1 outfit credit, which you can actually even apply for future months. They’ve got an awesome 50% off deal for the first outfit for new subscribers! That’s as cheap as $25 for a top and bottom set. If you’re interested, you can sign up through my referral link to get in on it!

Fabletics is just under $50 per outfit credit and comes with a 2- or 3-piece set of athletic wear. You can always get any of their outfits at their VIP pricing of $50-80 (2- and 3- pieces available) or buy any individual item separately. Outfits are sent monthly unless you choose to skip (which is very easy to do). They offer a referral program that earns you points towards free outfits.

I signed up and chose the Moon outfit as my first. It’s a Leon Tank paired with a Nadi Legging – nice and simple outfit that works for all the types of exercise I do! I really liked the colors on the Leon Tank in Cerulean/Mint and I’ve needed a proper workout tank and leggings, so this was perfect. All Fabletics clothing is chafe-resistant and offer four-way stretch so you can move easily.

collage of front and back of fabletics leon tank in cerulean and mint

Leon Tank in Cerulean/Mint

This tank has mesh paneling in the back for extra ventilation and is billed to have a “buttery soft” feel – I totally agree! It’s super smooth and soft. The shape in the back allows for your shoulders to move around freely without displacing your shirt. Retail value on this is listed as $24.95.

collage of nadi legging in black with stripe

Nadi Legging in Black/Stripe Hype

The leggings have fun stitching running along them, which I think help them fit your legs more smoothly as you’re moving. Whether or not they’re actually functional, they’re still a fun flourish! I love the little details like the hidden pocket, which I didn’t know about when I went running in the snow that one time. I wouldn’t have had that lost key scare if I’d known! There’s also a little Fabletics logo on the back, which is nice and subtle. Their retail value is listed as $49.95.

I’m happy with this outfit and especially happy about the price I got it at! Normally you’d pay $49.95 for this outfit if you got it any time after your first outfit, which is still an amazing deal. I’ve done yoga and gone running in them and they feel great. I’d definitely recommend trying them!

[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 outfit and wanted to share what I got!]

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