((little fat notebook))

365great Day 191: volunteering

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

21 September 2013

Volunteering is one of those things that can be quite enriching and fun. Not only do you get to enjoy access to certain things like exclusive events, you’re helping an organization accomplish their goals. How you help may vary from cleaning up to using your personal strengths to enhance their organization. It’s definitely something that everyone should do. Panda recently got involved with the Smithsonian, where he will be helping out from time to time. I am planning on going to the local animal shelter to contribute what I can every few weeks. We both get to explore our own passions while being useful to non-profits. I call that a win-win, which of course is great!

Green Festival DC 2013!

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: conferences, events, experiences, green festival, pictures

21 September 2013

Last year was the first time Panda and I came across the Green Festivals and got involved volunteering there. You can check out what it was like and some of the goodies I scored! I also signed up to help out at the LA one, but then managed to total my car on the way so I didn’t end up going. This year we were back again and I signed up to help at the Green Festival store, which I had helped out with in the second half of my shift last time. I really enjoyed sharing the products at the store with passersby so I figured I’d do it again!

view of green conference dc 2013 conference center booths in giant room

This year we were in Hall A, which seemed a bit smaller than last year’s.

muffetta cleaning products including wood floor cleaner, nursery cleaner, and glass & surface cleaner bottles at green festival dc 2013

I really liked the concept of these cleaning products and I loved the Minty Thyme scent they had for their kitchen and bathroom cleaner! I got a sample of that an the glass & surface cleaner, both of which I’m excited to try.

rareearth minieral-colored artisan candles made in usa display at green festival dc 2013

These rareEARTH artisan candles had a really cool look that was like gemstones. I didn’t get one but it’s on my list.

volunteer at green festival dc 2013 helping sell items at green festival store and cafe

I was really enjoying my time helping out at the Green Festival store (except for the standing with backache part). The sales kept flowing in!

rock wall in middle of convention space at green festival dc 2013

There was a rock wall in the middle of it all this year!

mandu korean restaurant pan chan cold appetizer dishes

After a long day out, we stopped by Mandu to try a new place for dinner.

view of washington monument with lights lighting it up seen from car driving away in rain

As we drove away I noticed the Washington Monument all lit up like a skyscraper.

pile of free samples of products at green festival dc 2013 including safeway bright green tote bag, bright green laundry detergent, dr. bronner's soaps and lotions, sheaterra black soap, muffetta cleaners, pangea facial scrub, banana, beanitos chips, annie's cheddar bunnies, justin's peanut butter cup, mom's organic market reusable bag, yummy earth lollipop, and stickers

Look at what I scored today!

neal's yard remedies organic facial wipes, white tea facial mist, and skincando combat-ready balm bought from green festival dc 2013

I also bought a few items – I was super surprised to find Neal’s Yard Remedies available in the US!

pile of free samples of products at green festival dc 2013 including ford t-shirt, bananas, beanitos chips, nature's path bars, justin's peanut butter cup, annie's cheddar bunnies, kit's organic bars, popchips, and jovial snacks

As you can see from Panda’s pile, his priorities were quite different from mine.

365great Day 190: baths

laelene Post in 365great，Tags: 365great, baths, pictures, relaxation, spas

20 September 2013

I don’t take baths very often because I feel bad using so much water, but with all the bath products I got in recent months, I’ve managed to take two. It’s been a nice way to really take time to care for my body. Whereas a shower tends to focus on washing things away, a bath is all about soaking things up. It’s a chance to condition your skin and soothe achy muscles. It’s a complete change of pace from the normal shower routine and I like how it sort of forces me to look at how I’m feeling. When you’re resting there with bath salts or a tea soak, there’s not too much else you can do simultaneously. I certainly don’t want to risk dropping a device in the water, so it’s not like I’m connected to my technology during that time. Tonight I took time for a bath and it has been very relaxing. Sometimes a bit of TLC is just what you need to feel great.

Treatsie September 2013 review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: boxes, candy, pictures, products, reviews, subscriptions, treatsie

20 September 2013

Treatsie is $15 per box and comes with artisan candy from 3 brands. That usually means 5 or 6 different flavors of treats. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral link program.

treatsie box artisan candy subscription with new shiny sticker label

This time around the label was new and shiny.

new shiny label on treatsie box artisan candy subscription

See how it reflects the light? The old labels were a paper that was matte.

treatsie september box contents with nut brittle, cookies, and marshmallow squares

Oh my yum.

Morning Glory Confections Chai Tea & Cashew Artisan Brittle: Ooo, what an exotic-sounding brittle. I’ve only ever had peanut brittle, which is one of the few things with peanuts that I actually like! This is with chai tea flavor and cashews, which is very fragrant and warm. It’s such a perfect treat for the fall and the crunchiness is super satisfying. Watch out if you have sensitive teeth and can’t bite very hard! Might want to put part of a piece in your mouth to let it soften first. Or, if you like hard candies like me you can just dig right in.

Katherine Anne Confections Vanilla Black Pepper and Cinnamon Sugar Marshmallows: The texture of these marshmallows are amazing – soft and supple yet they just melt in your mouth when you bite in. NOM! I loved the uniqueness of the Vanilla Black Pepper, which was sweet with a kick. So much fun! And of course the Cinnamon Sugar was a lovely sweet aromatic flavor for those of you who don’t want the contrast of sweet and spicy.

Grey Ghost Bakery Cinnamon Pecan, Chocolate Espresso, and Molasses Spice Cookies: I think one of these is the amazing smell that came wafting up as I was opening the box. Namely, the Cinnamon Pecan, but I can’t be sure because there were so many cinnamon items in the box! I love it; it totally reminded me of the fall season. The Cinnamon Pecan is a crisp sort of cookie, which is a bit crumbly. The taste is good but I like more soft cookies. I don’t like espresso flavors so I’m saving it for someone else. My favorite was the Molasses Spice that was just the right softness, sweet and fragrant, and had fabulous sugar granules. Oh yes, please.

Did you get a Treatsie box? How do you like these fall-inspired treats?

[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 189: traditions

laelene Post in 365great，Tags: 365great, celebrations, cultures, food, mid-autumn festival, moon cake, pictures

19 September 2013

Learn more about 365great here.

Traditions are an important part of human history and a way for cultures to celebrate certain ways of doing things. Sometimes entire nations partake and sometimes it’s just you, but no matter what the size and scope, it’s a way to connect with the past. Today is the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, where there is a tradition of eating moon cakes. It’s a simple gesture, but one that ties all those with a similar cultural heritage together. The act of buying a moon cake and consuming it may not be as meaningful to Panda and I in this day and age, but it’s still a way for us to respect our ancestry and do something that our forefathers (and mothers, hehe) have been doing for centuries. Even on a smaller scale, traditions are a way to bind us together, like when you have rituals related to how you celebrate anniversaries and other personal events. I think it’s a great way to create deeper connections.

The laundry basket

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: clothing, habits, home, panda, pictures

19 September 2013

Panda and I have very different habits. Some we’ve compromised on and others we tolerate. His laundry basket habit falls under the latter category. You see, to me a laundry basket is something you use to gather dirty clothes. When you no longer plan on wearing them, you throw them in there. Therefore, it is not a place you want to be rummaging through. Things go in one by one, they all get dumped out around the same time, and sometimes a freshly laundered load will temporarily go in to be transported away from the dryer.

Is that how you use your laundry basket?

Because it certainly is not how he uses it. For him, the laundry basket is a holding cell for clothing that has been worn once but is still viable for another wear. Yet at the same time, there are items meant for the wash as well. This grosses me out even though really it’s just a bit of weathered clothing – not like there are dried stains from sauces or anything super dirty. I can’t help it; it’s completely psychological but if something goes in that basket I am NOT taking it out unless it goes straight to the wash.

So how do you manage your laundry?

365great Day 188: Soma

laelene Post in 365great，Tags: 365great, compostable, eco-friendly, green, pictures, soma, water filters

18 September 2013

Learn more about 365great here.

I forgot how I came across Soma, but it was probably a Kickstarter email or a news article. I loved the concept of a water filter I’d be proud to keep out on the kitchen counter. Even better was that the filter would be fully compostable! When I discovered that, I knew that I wanted one of these. I absolutely hate throwing things out, so if I can recycle or compost (or just keep) something, I’m super happy. I feel better about how it will impact the environment and when I get a yard I’ll be interested in seeing how the filter composts. For now I’ll just trust them and put it in the compost pile. That’s a pretty rewarding feeling and I get to feel even better knowing they’ve partnered with charity:water to help make clean drinking water something everyone in the world can enjoy. It was a long wait, but my Soma filter and carafe finally arrived and I’m excited to have it as a staple in the new place, where it will fit right in on our beautiful kitchen counter tops with sunlight streaming in. It’ll be great!

Ipsy September 2013: Classic Beauty

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty, boxes, eye pencils, eye shadows, face masks, ipsy, lip balms, makeup, mascara, pictures, products, subscriptions

18 September 2013

Alright! My Ipsy bag arrived on Monday but I’ve been getting home from work kind of late so it’s always too busy at night for me to do a proper video or get pictures (plus the lighting isn’t as nice). Sooo I made sure to get those pictures taken today for this post. 🙂 Oh, and I have the video up now!

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 just wanted to note that this was the flattest bag yet, to the point that I almost doubted there was anything in the pouch before I opened it! Funny how that works.

Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm in Big Apple – keep. I quite enjoy the unique shape of Cailyn products. I haven’t really gotten to use the purple eyeliner I traded for from a previous bag, but I did have some fun with it (and discovered I really suck at making good lines). Now this is something I can’t really mess up! The red is more bright and bold than I’d choose for myself, but since it came in my bag I’m all for it. Totally into non-lipstick lip products these days, including lip balms, tinted lip balms, and lip scrubs.

NYX Eye Shadow in Fantasy – trade. This one was unavoidable since everyone got one and while it’s cute, I just don’t use eye shadow. Definitely going up on the trade list, as with any other eye shadow I will ever get. I’ll give Ipsy a pass on this since it wasn’t one of the items that you might have gotten – it was one for all the bags and IpsyMatch certainly can’t unmatch you to a staple item.

It’s So Big Volumizing Mascara by Elizabeth Mott – keep. I’ve started to use a little mascara here and there for work, so this will come in handy. I’m still looking for one that is really waterproof/smudge proof since I always forget and end up rubbing my eyes. I don’t enjoy looking like a raccoon for half the day! We’ll see how this one performs. Volumizing is cool and all, but what I really need is one that will stay on my lashes until I decide to wash it off with oil or makeup remover.

Freeman Paper Masks in Rose, Star Fruit, and Blue Agave – keep. These I’m excited about!! I enjoy masks of all sorts and I’ve been trying a bunch but these would be my first paper masks in a long time. I’ve never tried Freeman before so I’m excited to see what they have to offer. These masks seem really nourishing and I absosultely love that they included three different ones to try! Almost makes up for the fact that they gave me all these eye products that I don’t really use. I’m probably going to want to repurchase these at some point.

Starlooks Eye Pencil in Obsidian – trade. So this is the one I’m most disappointed in, since I already had to get the eye shadow that I won’t use and now I’m getting this pencil that I won’t use, PLUS it’s a product that came in a previous bag. If they had to do that, I would have been fine with a Pop Crayon since I traded mine and then decided I wanted to try one, haha. Even better would have been the Butter London nail polish, which is something I actually really want. Definitely going to try my luck trading for one of those, though I don’t know what colors people got.

Ok, so it looks like IpsyMatch either faltered a bit or just didn’t want to give me the cool high-value nail polish I would have enjoyed a lot. Well, it’s always a risk and at least I’m happy with the masks and I’ll be trying out two of the other items. Thank goodness for trading! Oh, and the bag itself is cute. I like the round zipper tab and the more subtle design. The summer bags have been more flashy and fun so it’s nice to get a change from that.

So what do you think of the items I got? What came in your Ipsy bag this month?

365great Day 187: cooking

laelene Post in 365great，Tags: 365great, cooking, experience, food, home, lifestyle, panda, pictures

17 September 2013

Learn more about 365great here.

Panda and I have been cooking a bit together* and I’ve really enjoyed it. Not only are we spending time together, getting a chance to chat and catch up, we’re producing results that we get to enjoy at the end. There’s something very rewarding about getting a product that is useful after all that effort. Then we get to sit down and eat together and spend even more time together! Oh, and of course cooking is nice because you can make things taste just how you want and you don’t have to leave a tip. 😉 You save time and money (usually) and you are more active too. We really should do it more often, but it’s so easy to slip into laziness and order out or just go out. That’s why I’m exploring options to make it easier for us, like this Hello Fresh meal that was pre-planned for us. I won’t delve into it too much since I’ll feature them another time, but suffice it to say that cooking at home can be a great experience.

*More like I’m doing the cooking and he’s doing the cleaning up, but hey we’re working together and that’s what matters.

Homegrown Collective August 2013 projects

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: activities, alfalfa, bath, boxes, chocolate, food, fruits, fun, green tea, homegrown collective, kitchen, lavender, pampering, pictures, relaxing, seeds, snacks, spa, sprouts, subscriptions, treats

17 September 2013

Are you ready to see the results of my Homegrown Collective August box?! I sure had a ton of fun with it. 🙂

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.

the homegrown collective august 2013 products for growing alfalfa sprouts with instruction sheet

I started off with the alfalfa sprouts project.

pile of alfalfa seeds in layer at bottom of glass ball jar

I put in just enough to cover the bottom of the jar.

pile of alfalfa seeds submerged in water in glass ball jar

I then filled with plenty of water to submerge them, though I had some floaters.

collage of alfalfa seeds submerged in water after one day then getting water strained out

The next day, the water had browned and I poured it out. It was hard to get the screen on underneath the lid! It’s a tight fit. I rolled the jar and shook it so the seeds got spread around.

collage of alfalfa seeds sprouted in glass ball jar after two days

By the third day, they’d sprouted! I was so surprised I actually gasped out loud when I saw it.

collage of alfalfa sprouts growing in glass ball jar

On the fourth day they continued to grow and I tried to get the remaining seeds to sprout by giving them more space.

collage of alfalfa sprouts growing in glass ball jar filling area

By the fifth day, I noticed that they had orientated themselves upwards even though there was no sun where I kept them. Guess they just knew which way is up!

collage of alfalfa sprouts full grown in glass ball jar and removed

Just six days in and they were definitely full grown and ready to come out. I let the brown seed covers float up and dumped them out.

tray of full grown alfalfa sprouts with green heads after getting sunlight

I then let them sit out in the sun and the heads went from yellow to green. Ready to eat! I had some but gosh, this was waaay more than I could handle.

the homegrown collective august 2013 products for making green tea & lavender epsom salt bath soak with instruction sheet

Next up was a lovely bath soak to pamper myself!

pile of green tea mixed with fresh lavender for bath soak in muslin bag

I put together a few scoops of green tea and some lavender flowers in the muslin bag and mixed them up.

collage of green tea and lavender bath soak with epsom salts and muslin bag filled with tea and lavender flowers in tub

I ran really hot water, put in epsom salts that quickly dissolved, let the tea bag sit in the running water, and then let the bag float around the tub.

green tea leaves and lavender flowers emptied from inside of muslin bag

After my relaxing soak, I flipped the bag inside out to get the tea out, rinsed the rest off, and let it dry for next time.

the homegrown collective august 2013 products for dark chocolate pomegranate wonder cup snacks with instruction sheet

Finally, I got around to trying the pomegranate chocolate cups!

collage of steps to peel pomegranate from cutting skin to removing seeds and soaking in water

It was a slow process ensuring I got the seeds out as whole as possible, but I was rewarded with a nice pile of them.

collage of melting chocolate, drying pomegranate seeds, and putting pomegranate seeds into paper cups

I don’t have a double boiler, so I melted the chocolate with a bowl in the pot. I boiled the water too much and water got in, but it turned out ok. I nearly forgot to pat dry the seeds before putting them in the cups!

collage of melted chocolate and pomegranate seeds then pouring chocolate over the seeds in paper cups

I poured the melted chocolate over the seeds and just about overfilled the cups. I generously sprinkled the salt flakes on top and put it all the in fridge. It came out looking not much different and tasted fantastic, even with my messed up chocolate.

silicone cat-shaped ice cube tray with pomegranate seeds inside

I decided to have some fun with it and make some with my cat-shaped ice cube tray! I accidentally messed up the chocolate again so it didn’t turn out to well, but I’m totally trying again later. Nom!!

So what do you think? Jealous yet? 😉 I loved each of these projects and will definitely be doing them again. I’m also looking forward to the upcoming box!!

If you’re interested in getting it yourself, sign up here!

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