The last time I was at the bookstore gift section, I saw these pretty packages of soy candles. They were made by my favorite handmade soap company, Pacifica. I’m not exactly sure which products they made first, the soap or the candles. But the candles were a recent thing I’ve noticed. And these candles all smell great. It’s definitely not at artificial at all (like perfumes usually do!). That is because these candles are scented with pure essential oils. You can never go wrong with pure EO’s.
Since I was already in love with their guava glycerine handmade soap, I went right into the Hawaiin Ruby Guava soy candles. As mentioned by Pacifica’s company site, “This tropical blend is predominately made up of sweet berry-like notes of the guava, with a citrusy top note of pomelo in a very subtle warm base of coconut.” The smallest jar is $5.00 for 3 oz.
Guavas are very rare in the US fruit market. Sometimes when I get lucky I’ll see them at the Asain markets. Some people like to eat them when they are ripe, as they can be very sweet yet tangy. But I prefer them to be a bit crisp.
On my first trip to Hawaii, years ago, I tasted my first fruit off the tree. A friend of ours had a small tree growing in their front yard. Most of the fruits had been eaten by birds or bats already. But I was able to get my first bite into a crunchy little green one. I think the scent was more memorable then the fruit itself. So it’s such a great surprise to find Pacifica making these beautiful soaps and candles.
Many cool facts about guavas can be found at rain-tree.com
As we all know, the cost of health care in America is not attainable by all Americans. It’s a shame that a developed nation, such as ours, can not afford to give it’s citizens affordable and proper healthcare. So lately I’ve have been looking into alternative healthcare, meaning eating healthy and living healthy. And the one thing that has caught my attention is the use of essential oils and herbs to help fight common ailments.
So when I figure a headache was going to come on earlier tonight, I decided to put peppermint EO on my wrist and sniff on it every few minutes. An hour later, the throbbing pain on my head is gone.
I also make my own summer mister with peppermint EO. My other favorites include eucalyptus, lemon, and grapefruit. All the citrus scents make me happier. I am at the point where I can not stand other types of artificial scents. Especially the stronger ones and the little perfume inserts in magazines. They just make me feel nauseous. They really do need to get rid of that too!
As for more info on EOs, I have come across a very neat website call AromaWeb. Here is one of the EO that I want to try out in the future. Ylang Ylang Essential Oil. The picture remind me of the citrus fruit, Buddha’s Hand.
I also read in another EO book that in Indonesia, it is pronounced “lang lang”. Which translate to “the flower of all flower”. Since the beautiful scent is like no other flower to be compared. So it’s like Queen Flower, and it’s rather pricey too!
Oil Description: Fresh, floral, sweet, slightly fruity, fragrant yet delicate.
I would like to try mixing ylang ylang with another oil, but I’m not really sure yet. I also hope this scent won’t be too floral, because they usually make me feel more sleepy and tire. This EO was placed under peace & happiness. So that would fit me just nicely! Actually I think M could use more of this as his life as of late has been pretty stressful. So I think this oil would be really helpful to him. I can always get some soaps made with ylang ylang EO or make a linen spray out of this oil too.
Photos from AromaWeb
How about these original rice bran facial soap that started in Japan? Chidoriya’s prices are a bit more then miSPA, and they have more luxurious oils for their ingredients. Pure Silk & Rice Bran Facial Soap, 2 oz for $15.
This Chidoriya facial soap for dry and sensitive skin is made from all natural selected oils and combined with 100% pure silk powder which prevents skin irritations & blemishes, also combined with rice bran which contains all kinds of vitamin, minerals, pantothenic acid, and other nutrients to maintain healthy skin.
Rice bran’s natural enzyme will helps to dissolve dead skin & blemishes, while retaining moisture. Pure aroma oils will gently maintain your skin’s health and the scent will help to ease & relax both your mind & body.
Ingredients: Glycerine, Palm Oil (Elaeis Guineensis), Coconut oil (CocosNucifera), Water (Aqua),Black sugar, Lavender oil,Geranium oil, Grapefruit seed extract, Rosemary oil, Rice bran powder, Palmarosa oil,Maychang oil, Silk powder,Benzoin oil,Cedar wood oil, Mineral water(nigari), Soy bean extract.
Maggie and Zoe are so cute! The are made by Sew Sweet Dolls of Illinoise. Actaully the doll patterns are published by them and then it is up to us to make them. I actaully have a couple of friends and families who are having baby girls this year. R just had twins in May. And A had a baby girl in July. Wow! I already have tons of stuffed animal patterns I need to make real soon. But these cute dolls are nice since you can imagine the girls growing up with them. Plus nothing beats handmade and crafted with love.
You can order you own pattern by by phone: Or Fax: . They do not have a shopping cart on their website. The best part about these dollls are the faces, I just love those apple cheeks.
I can’t believe it’s only middle of August, and I am already thinking of crisp autumn days. September is one of my favorite time of the year. I really do enjoy summer for all the endless sunshine and sweet watermelons. But I am more for rainy days and “leaves falling in autumn” kind of person. The other great thing about autumn is the nice Fall fashion. And what better place to showcase some of the best fashions around then from Anthropologie’s new collection. Here are some of my favorites:
I love the detail of the homespun stitching on this handbag. Peacocks are just the most colorful birds out there. The red canvas is vibrant enough to heat any cold autumn day. Appropiately titled, “Jubilant Bag.” Details: Canvas, leather straps. Cotton lining. $98
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I’m not the one to gush about celebrities at all. I am more into the old Hollywood, with ladies like Audrey Hepburn and gentlemen like Gregory Peck. But when it comes to puppies, I can never resist. And I read that Audrey had a cute yorkie too.
Then I saw this picture of Blake Lively from the LA Times and thought what a cute puppy. I really, really want one of these cutie pie. I hope the apricot toy poodle doesn’t just become fashion accessory for her. It would be a shame, as shameful as when parents try to dress up their toddlers as little mini hipsters.
But I don’t think Blake will just toss the puppy aside, she seem to be caring enough person who take on the responsibility of puppy caretaker. Not to mention, Blake already has good fashion sense, her style is simple yet funky. I like the simple black top with jeans & piles of glass bead-like necklaces too.
Photo by LA Times, WireImage.com
But what would be even better then fashion… is to treat your pet with love and kindness. And the ones that need some love can be found at your local animal shelter. These days, it’s easy to find rescue groups in your area via the internet. They have rescue groups for poodles, dalmations, yorkies, and many more.
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Dana from Chicago shared a lovely picture of her quiet sleeping quarter at Apartment Therapy. MR would really love this room. Less so my style, but I do love the simplicity of it all.
The large windows make it so much brighter. And I think the bed looks really comfy. I would probably have a difficult time getting out of this bed. And I also like the idea of the couch in the bedroom. It really adds to the comfort and cozy factor here. It’s great to lounge on the couch when you don’t want to mess with fixing your sheets again. The less clean up time, the better for me.
Great job on the interior design of your sleeping quarter Dana!
Internet classroom had this helpful drawing to help me with my C and F conversions. I think I need to refer to this more for my trip abroad.
The last time I was on the phone with M’s mom and asked her about the weather, she said “it’s 32 C”. That made me go Hmmm… but now I can say that’s about 90 F. Very cool (or is it hot) indeed!
Notice from the diagram that 32 F is actaully freezing (0 C). That is the normal weather for my cousins in Minnesota. Well, I wish the US would use metric, it would be much more universal.
A girl can never have too many shoes or purses. But in this case, I really do have too many shoes. I can’t count exactly, but I have walking shoes, running shoes, shoes for special occassions, and whole collection of sandals to last me a few years.
So basically, I’ve decided to stop buying shoes all together. But then I saw this pair and thought, what a cutie. So basic and simple, just my style!
These cutie are by Kork-Ease the Myrna “classic low rider”. Kork-Ease are a handmade shoe company founded in 1954 in Brooklyn, NY. They were popular amongst the hippies and almost got lost in the fad. But they are back! This style sell at zappos for $150. A little too much for me to fork out on shoes. Unless I have extra money around or these are super worth it (comfort-wise). I think the last sandals I got were around $50 and it lasted me a few years. The best deal I got were these cute brown leather sandals by Bandolino for only $3 at the thrift store. It’s unusual to find a great deal at these places, but it sure is fun when you do!
As for Kore-Ease, many customers from Zappos have given them great review on comfort, style, and quality. That’s really great to know. I love the simple design the most. And the rubber sole are also helpful, as I would hate to slip and fall. Only thing that is stopping me is the fact that I have a brown sandal that looks very similar. Actually another black one too. With the cork platform sole. So I’m hoping this post will help remind me of all these sandals I already own… before I decide to go shoe shopping again.
This summer I have found myself enjoying ice cream again. It’s not that I don’t enjoy ice cream, it’s just that all the Breyer’s and Dryer’s out there start to taste the same to me. It’s just a little bit of milk and sugar, some being creamer then others. And I don’t like shorbets at all. I don’t like gelatos either. I would prefer to eat fresh watermelon or canteloupes during the summer heat.
But this summer, I have discovered paletas at the grocery stores. They are Mexican ice cream bars made of fruits. Not just any fruits, but chunks of good tropical fruits too. And now this is what I call real delicious tasting ice cream!
Paletas are more like a fruit shake frozen into a bar. Some are milk based and others are water based. My favorites are the milk based one. When I was younger, my mom use to buy coconut paletas from the Mexican ice cream vendor who sold them at the farmer’s market. I really haven’t had them since.
Until recently I spotted a box at our local grocery store. La Indita Michoacana makes them with the finest ingredients. No high fructose corn syrup either! The back of the box said they are a small family owned business that uses only natural and traditional ingredients. The ice creams are made in Modesto, California. Their paletas come in 9 flavors! I have tried about 5 of those flavors already (and also gained an extra 5 pounds) and have to say my favorite is mamey and mango.
La Michoancana fruit pops at our local grocery store (in California) has 6 bars for $4. Mamey is my favorite flavor, they are so good. This week they are on sale for $3.29. That explains why I’m on my 2nd box already.
Photo: LA Times by Carlos Chavez. “Cream-based nuez (nut) paleta - with pecans - is one of the most popular flavors at PaleterÃa La Michoacana.” Love this photo of the popsicle just coming out of it’s molding. I can just imagine how yum this particuluar ice cream bar would taste.
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