Self Explanatory

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1zs06CUE1Q
This one's ^^^^^^^ better but for some reason it won't pop into the 'insert a video' box. Tried everything too. Full title, just Mudcat, just Nothing On MY Mind.....won't work.
pfffffffffft

I'M ON VACATION!!!!

Yippee!! Don't go back to work until September 3rd. Don't have anything planned....just laying around drinking beer. LOL A coworker gave me about 15 movies to watch that we haven't seen.

Watched Identity Thief. Horrible. Not funny, lame and too contrived. And I WUBS me some Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy!!! I fell asleep that last 1/2 hour so I do need to watch it all before I really call it a bomb.


Watched Life of Pi because I read the book. I always like books better because they're more detailed and usually you can get into the minds of the characters.  Unless it's non-omniscient. The movie wasn't too bad. The book was better.

I'm baking a white heart shaped double layer cake. I've been craving white cake since a coworker's birthday. I'm getting my white cake Amanda!!!!  Hahahah The house smells wonderful. Reminds me of childhood because my mom baked all the time. From scratch too! She made everything from scratch even angel food cakes. It took me 4 years to convince her and Dad to buy a microwave. I was in 10th grade cooking class the first time I'd used one. She loved her microwave after she got it. Me and Jeff's microwave is 30 years old and still runs perfectly. No shit!! Granted it's a monster but it's perfect for the small TV on top of it. YES it's a working TV stand!!We bought it back in 1984 at JC Penney's. I refuse to buy a new one until this one stops running. Never had to replace a bulb yet either.

I just posted Silly Dilly Pretzels on Allrecipes.

16 oz pretzels

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tblsp dried dill weed

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp celery salt

Directions

1. Get a gallon size zip lock storage bag.
2. To the bag add the dry ingredients. Mix well.
3. Then add the oil. Mix again.
4. Now add the pretzels and seal.
5. Toss the bag to coat the pretzels evenly.
6. Continue to roll the bag around a few times over the next 2 hours.
7. Pour the contents into a new zip lock gallon sized bag.

Footnotes

• Olive oil can be substituted with any other oil, even Orville Redenbacher's Popping Oil. The longer the pretzels soak the drier they become. Eventually all the oil is absorbed by the pretzels.

Let's do a review of a NON Bpal oil, shall we??

Getting out my 'Other Etailers' ammo box.

These are all the makers not the individual oil names:
The front row is all Nocturne Alchemy oils.
Row 2: Alkemia Perfumes
3: The green single is Damonkitty, middle 3 is ZOMG, then single Mythos Mixtures, then single The Poison Apple Apothecary.
4. Row 4 is all Arcana Soaps, old and new
5. Single is Blooddrop, next 5 is Good Judy, last single is Lux Vixen
6. Single is Woobiebath, single the Mindful Mushroom, next 5 are Violette Market.
7. first 2 are Conjure Oils, single L'aromatica, single Wylde Ivy, single Magicalomaha.com
8. Full row is Midnight Gypsy
9. row is empty and crying for a new brand!
10. Entire row is Black Phoenix Trading Post


I'm going to choose one of those single puppies......Hmmm....

Amber Chai by Wylde Ivy

Clear in color.

Kind of nondescript in the vial I had to put it on my hand to smell it. Fruity with some groundedness to it. I like it. It's pretty unobtrusive. Mellow and feminine. I'd wear this out and about. Amber, of course, I don't get any tea yet. A slight cinnamon smell is emerging after a few minutes. Faint though. Kind of florally with some candy-ness.

It's a nice skin scent but too faint to enjoy.
What's in this?  Hints of Amber create a base for rich Chai tea mingled with moist Madagascar vanilla beans. An intriguing blend of black tea, amber and vanilla with a hint of spice.

http://wyldeivy.blogspot.com/2008/10/amber-chai-ice-princess-marshmallow.html

THE best Sega game of all time!! Okay Okay Formula One Racing was pretty good too.

 

 

Where's my Sega!!??

Bpal--

Blind pick.

Woot woot!

Here's the ammo box I'm picking from. I just now took and uploaded this pic.

 

Jeff just came up and groped me and I made him blind pick two imps. A first time for Jeff picking!!!!!

 

Weird. Both 'M' names.

 

 

Meliai and Maenad

 

 

 

 

Meliai

 

The teensiest tiny yellow colored.  Of course, right? OOOOOoooo, Yummy!  Brilliant, fluorescent, clean, breezy, whippy, yellowness!

 I can tell I like this already. It's like walking thru Naples and smelling all the lemon trees, open blooming flowers and lovely green.

 

A sweet floral is the dominant freshness. Along with the lemon. Super bright and clear. Lovely.

What's in this?

 

Sisters to the Erinyes and the Gigantes, the ash tree nymphs were also born from the union of the blood gushing from Ouranos’ castration wounds and Gaia’s fertile womb. These nymphs were the mother of the Bronze Race of mankind’s third age.

Ash manna and ambrosial honey.

 

Others get the citrus too. I think pine can sometimes smell like lemon.

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA010b_TC4M

 

Lemon Chilli Sea Bass with Wild Rocket Tomato & Pine Nut Salad is the video.

 

 

He's kinda cute and I like the way he talks. LOL 

 

Maenad

 

Another mother effing yellow bpal. No crap. This is definitely a conspiracy.

 

 

This has weird smell in the vial.   Candy sweet. REALLY candy like, coconut, tropical, sandalwood, This is an instant all time crazy good bpal. I need to put this on my chest so I can smell it all night.

Now it's turning cleaner...but still uber great.

 

 

What's in this? Orgiastic mayhem in the extreme: sweet strawberry and orange blossom distorted by carnation, black poppy and hibiscus.

 

Absolutely awesome. Fruity floral all girly. So unlike this dude.

 



 He was the horniest guy I'd ever met. No, I never 'did it' with him. Now, I am so glad I didn't. (giggle)

Dis

Is ducking love

Crashes

Why does stubbing your toe, smashing your hand and a paper cut when you're older just throw your whole life balance off?
Seriously.
I remember falling down when I was a kid. It'd hurt, but not like it does now.


Crashing sucks.






Here's some things I love tho:



Animals
Asian Food
Bud Lite---NOT from a keg (don't ask-it's a secret)
Men in uniform
Funny people
Garlic
Katy Perry
The Buzz and posters on Allrecipes


Have I done this before!!?? Yeah I have. Well, now the answers are different. Ask me in 2 months and they will be different again. Check back. Uh huh.




This is like the mostest awesomest email I have ever received:  There is someone I know who makes me want to gouge my eyes out with a spoon when speaking anything to them. Slow and painful torture would be better than having to deal with this person even for a minute of the day.

ROFLMAO!!! OMG! I was laughing tears when I read this. So true, so true.

 

I

Am 50 years and 8 months old today.



Does anyone give a shit?

This is not looking good right now.

Said on the Food Network.

THE JERSEY DEVIL

The lightest freaking yellow you will ever come across.

Vial: TWEEEAAK! Medicinal and Bandaid wanna be. The garlic I chopped for dinner is competing with the oil. I need to switch fingers.
Done.

No different                 Eucalyptus

Reminds me of that top coveted bpal, Embalming Fluid.

This is minty. Minty, minty minty.

A sweet minty like those mouth lozenges.

As it dries down it's sinking into my skin.

I refreshed A Companion of the Same Nature.   Fresh.

THE JERSEY DEVIL

Faintly candy-like.
Both are gorgeous. Love smelling them. Especially after dry down for 30 minutes.

Another blind pick-le

Hopefully the bpals today are as good as yesterdays. Both were heavenly even after a few hours.

 

 

 

A Companion of the Same Nature

 

What the heck is that supposed to mean?

 

This is rosy in color. Like blood that's been diluted to the 10th degree.

In the vial: WOW Totally spicy like carnations. Super floral and fun, with a twist.

 

On the hand: Still that twangy smell but now there's some sweet scent coming on. This is all floral to me. It's has several elements too...spicy, sweet, ethereal, like putting 75 different flowers into a bunch and smelling them all. The pungent florals dominate yet you still get the lovely sweet flowers in the background. Kind of reminds me of those little gold, yellow and orange flowers that people surround their garden to keep out the bad bugs and animals. What is that flower?? Starts with an M. I think!

Be back....need to google.

 

Marigolds!! Yeah!! marigolds kind of stink and this oil isn't that strong but it reminds me of them. What's in this?

“If you consent, neither you nor any other human being shall ever see us again: I will go to the vast wilds of South America. My food is not that of man; I do not destroy the lamb and the kid to glut my appetite; acorns and berries afford me sufficient nourishment. My companion will be of the same nature as myself, and will be content with the same fare. We shall make our bed of dried leaves; the sun will shine on us as on man, and will ripen our food. The picture I present to you is peaceful and human, and you must feel that you could deny it only in the wantonness of power and cruelty. Pitiless as you have been towards me, I now see compassion in your eyes; me seize the favourable moment, and persuade you to promise what. I so ardently desire.”

A companion of the same nature: skin musk, red rose petals, mums, carnations, white linen, and sunlit amber on a bed of soft dry leaves.

 

O.M.G.  I had carnations right!! Sumbitch! The color must come from the red rose petals but I don't get rose. Oh wait, yeah I do. It's the creaminess. I think this would be okay for those that hate rose. It's not a rose in the face smell. To me anyway.

 

 

 

I like this but not a big bottle winner....too tart and tangy for me to enjoy wearing.

 

 

 

Van Holten's Sour Pickle Tart and Tangy Review

 

 

 

Okay, what's up with the BOX of 5th avenue candy bars here? I'm happy that I'm not the only one to drink pickle juice. I also like olive juice, especially black olive juice. Sick.....I know. He's wondering why it's plastic tasting? COULD IT BE BECAUSE IT'S IN PLASTIC!?

The next thing that I think of is when he pushed the pickle up...is that this is getting a little creepy for me. Maybe he has some issues that haven't been addressed yet....?? 

No blind pick here, no sirree!!

I chose this bpal for the color. I'm tired of the yellows. This one is a nice brown color.

Thanatos

In the vial. Rootbeer or cola. For you Swedish it's like Julmust but not as sweet. Ahhh, super resiney and woody. But not a piney wood. More like a musky patchouli.
On the hand is flat out punchy patchy musk.  Intensely sexual. Exactly what I was hoping for because of the color. There also seems to be another scent within in that's making it a bit spicy and another that's making it sweet.

What's in this? One of the horrible, painful, cruel, brooding, mocking and malignant children of Nyx, he is Death Incarnate, and is seen as a willowy young man, accompanied by a butterfly, bearing an inverted torch and funeral wreath in his hands. In modern thought, thanks to Sigmund Freud, it is the Death Instinct: love of death, destruction and decay, and the desire to embrace the quiescence, silence and peace of the grave. Dry white sandalwood and soft Siamese benzoin over a lugubrious blend of myrrh, Moroccan rose, mastic, tomb moss and a thin whiff of Greek incense.

Oh! I smell the benzoin now. One of my fave bpal scents along with ambergris. I'm not getting any definite rose but that's probably the sweetness I perceive. I am loving this a lot. Another one the hubby will hate. The sandalwood, myrrh and incense are what's creating the patchouli for me.
A keeper and big bottle winner tho I doubt I will get one since Jeff thinks this type of smell reminds him of body odor. LOL This reminds me of the New Orleans scent by bpal the more it dries.

When I was perusing my bpals tonight looking for a dark colored scent, I came across:

Hermia

Now, it's NOT dark colored, in fact it's almost clear with a hint of yellow but the name reminded me of the song Zwitter by Rammstein. The song is about a hermaphrodite. Now if you don't know what that is I suggest you ask your Mommy.
So of course, I need to review this one!!

In the vial: Ack!!! Putrid greatness. Sour, twangy, freaky.

On the hand it bright, light, white, zippy, freaking awesome gorgeous citrus. Is there melon in this?? LOVE THIS! I smells lots of flowers. White and purple flowers. This is super fresh and vibrant. Like a gardenia or magnolia candle (I have both and they're faves). This is also aquatic, like waves crashing on the shore.
What's in this?

How low am I, thou painted maypole? speak;
How low am I? I am not yet so low
But that my nails can reach unto thine eyes.

Pink pepper, golden amber, honeysuckle, and passion flower.


OMG Honeysuckle! I should have known. My Aunt Caroline loved honeysuckle, so I sought it out when I got older. Of all the floral scents in the world, magnolia, honeysuckle, lilac, and gardenia are my ultimate favorites. I like rose too but not like these four.
This scent is beautiful. The song by Rammstein. It has the lyrics in English.

 

Thanks Missy for turning me on to Rammstein. It's like my favorite group right now and I will own all of their CDs soon! LOL

Cereal Serial/Serial Cereal

Little nuggets of life

 

 

 

Okay. Was that nasty?

You know.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Would have LOVED to have seen that concert. O.M.G.  ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GAWD!

I fucking went to the Fair again tonight and fucking forgot the camera again. I SUCK!

'Scuse the F bombs....but I'm disgusted with myself.
I'm living in a state of frustration right now. I keep dropping things, spelling words wrong, re-doing letters because I effed up, losing things, not getting any sleep (I stopped the OTC sleep aids about 2 months ago), my face is breaking out along the jawline (fucking hormones suck), my cholesterol is up but I can't take Statins, I'm tired of cooking (BLASHEMY!!), my 17 yr old cat Winnie is pissing and shitting every where, and I might have an autoimmune problem happening in my body.

Yeah.

I just want to lay down in the middle of a busy street and kick my arms and legs around and have a tantrum!

What the fuck is going on!!:??                                          Fuck!

Fuck me!

Fucking fucky fuck!
FUCK.


I bought the coolest things at the Fair tonight. Little 2 inch fake leather pouches that have magnifying glasses in them. They will be so awesome on my jackets that I decorate.

 

Aint they cute.

 

I wanted the pouches....Jeff wanted the magnifying glasses.

 

Match made in heaven!

 

$1.00 each. No shit. $1 effing dollar. I can glue or sew them onto the jackets I make. I think I will sew the top part to the jacket but leave the bottom free, so they kind of swing and are loose. Then they can be used as a secret hideaway for money, jewelry, writings, incense, teeth, hair, perfume oil, lyrics, etc., the list goes on and on.

 

We could be here all night. 

 

 

Nocturne Alchemy

 

Orchid Crystal

 

 

In the vial: Heavenly. Candy clean. There's no mint in this but it has an aura of freshness. Tart too. But in the best way ever imagined.  Take some sweetarts, and crush them up. Then lay a line out.......nose to straw, and the wicked bubbly, sweettart, essence buzzes your nose. You get the fruity candy smell too. In fact it's forefront.......right in you nose........Poppy. Pop in your nose. Pop- eee. Effervescent. lemony, Fruity, pineappley, One of the best oils I have ever smelled in my life.

PERFECT TO A 'T'.

I NEED A BIG BOTTLE OF THIS LIKE I NEED A HOLE IN THE HEAD.

 

LIKE DONNY NEEDS A MARINE.

GRASS NEEDS FIRE.

 

 

 

 

 

NOT.

 

How about:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



My new enameled cast iron braiser, Iowa State Fair and blind pick

Took me 2 months to find the one I wanted for the price I was willing to pay. Most of them were also 3 1/2 quart and this one is 4 quarts. Another bonus!!

I know....excited over a cooking pan!! LOL

I kept seeing chefs and cooks on the Food Network using these short cast iron pans that were like a stock pot but shorter. I finally googled and found out the name of them. Braiser.

AND THE QUEST WAS ON!!

Le Crueset:

http://www.cutleryandmore.com/le-creuset-signature-cast-iron/braiser-p125134

Too rich for my blood. LOL



Guy Fieri:

http://www.bonton.com/shop/brands/guy-fieri/guy-fieri-porcelain-cast-iron-braiser-pan_511106.html

That's better but I couldn't find red. Bah!


Finally I found one on Ebay by Tramontina. Never heard of them. So I went to Amazon and read the reviews. Nothing shouted DON'T BUY! In fact most of the reviews were extremely favorable and one even compared it to their Le Crueset. SOLD!
So I waited and waited....Finally got one for a price I was willing to pay and saved $10.00 over the lowest price I could find! I love it!!

I'm breaking it in today with some chicken. Haven't decided on the recipe yet.


The Iowa State Fair is happening right now. It's the BEST state fair in all the states. In fact a magazine named it the Number 2 place to go only after Las Vegas. No shit!
http://www.iowastatefair.org/about-us/photo-album/

We went to it Thursday but I forgot my camera. Dayum! We'll go again.  We're famous for the Butter Cow. Ever heard of that? http://www.iowastatefair.org/fair-attractions/butter-cow/

There's even a butter cow movie with Jennifer Garner.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20121005/CAROUSEL/310060030/-Butter-brings-Iowa-tradition-big-screen

I'll try to remember to take the camera. I can FEEL the excitement from ya'all!!!

Another Carnaval Diabolique review.

Tabula Smaragdina


Excuse me.

Another freaking yellow one. CAN'T I GET A FREAKING RED, GREEN OR BROWN IMP PLEASE??!!

Menopause.  Just sayin....


Super duper floral in the vial. Really sharp and bright. Lilies? I smell roses too. Uber feminine. Strong. Turning fresh as it sits on my hand. I like this. It's not cloying either. Usually smells like this from bpal are super strong and run off with my nose. This is getting nicer. Starting to smell other florals too now. Seems lemony in a way. Or lime. Sweet yet sharp. Vibrant. What's in this?


Rosicrucian incense

What dat?  No wiki. Sad now.   :(

I hope this gets more resiney as it dries and absorbs. This is nice but not a big bottle winner.

Vampire Pickles!

A gal at work asked me if I liked pickles. Who doesn't?(see previous pickle posts, hehe)  Anyway she grows cucumbers and had a lot and made pickles with them and wanted to know if I wanted a jar. Hell yeah!
So she brings them to me and they were sweet salty. Loved them Asked her how to make them and she told me. Easy smeazy!
Well, the people that my husband works for have been giving us cukes left and right and I decided to make some. But I changed up the recipe,  of course!! Hers only had salt, and sugar & vinegar in equal amounts.
Here's MY version!  Tangy sweet pickles with a bite!

Vampire Pickles

 Ingredients

• 5-6 large cucumbers or 10-15 small - sliced
• 2 fresh jalapenos - sliced
• 1 tablespoon dried dill
• salt (I use Mrs. Wages Quick Process Pickle Mix)
• white sugar
• white vinegar

 Directions

1. Slice the cucumbers and place one layer into a non reactive bowl. Sprinkle with salt. Add another layer of cucumbers, sprinkle with salt. Keep doing this until all the cucumbers are in the bowl.
2. Let sit for about 2 hours.
3. Pour off the liquid.
4. Now sprinkle the cucumbers with 3 tablespoons of white sugar. Now add 3 tablespoons white vinegar. Now another 3 tablespoons of sugar and white vinegar. Do this until the cucumbers are almost covered. I cheat and add them by cups instead, if you do that be sure not to add too much. After getting them almost covered, add 3/4 cup of vinegar, but NOT sugar.
5. Add the sliced jalapenos and dill.
6. Pour or spoon into glass jars with lids and refrigerate.
7. They are ready to eat immediately. They get better as they age.                

They are so addicting. I eat them right from the jar. LOL!

Beautiful day here and VApothecary's D. (vampire!!)

Sunny, bright blue sky. 69 degrees. Hehe, I said 69!! Yep, it's GORGEOUS here!!!  (10:00am)

Going out to dinner tonight at Sam & Gabe's.
http://www.samandgabes.com/italian-restaurant-menu.html

Their food is fabulous! Plus I bought a Groupon for $35.00 and we'll get $60.00 worth of food. ROFL! I called my younger brother last night to wish them happy 25th and they are going to Bonefish Grill with gift cards. Bwahahahahahahahahaha!! Too effing funny. I don't think I will be able to take pics because S&G is a little higher class than what we normally do, but I can try!!

This is for those of you who think MY Lush obsession is bad!! Ha!

She doesn't have any Rose Jam Bubbleroons. Shameful!! This was made in 2011 though so maybe they weren't invented yet...???


Here's another scent from VApothecary:


D.

In a red vial so I can't tell the color. I love these red vials, they are very striking.

Oh wow! Extremely bitter in the vial! Second sniff gets me a little vanilla or sweetness. Holy Moses this is crazy strong weird smelling.

Our ceiling fan in the living room went kaput the other day. So we went and bought another one.

 



It's my marijuana leaf ceiling fan! ROFL

I don't care for the stark white lamps though, so I am either going to find different ones (the ones from the kaput fan had too small of holes to fit into this new one) or I am going to paint them some funky colors! The lamps are frosted and I think paint with adhere.

OH! Back to D. ! There's something super green in this. Lavender too? Lemon? It's sharply crisp. Like pulling a leaf off of a eucalyptus plant and smooshing it all up and the oils getting onto my hands. There's an element of sweetness too that keeps the crisp at bay. But not much! It's really vibrant at first then mellows into sweet green. What's in this? 

Blue Juniper from the Wallachian Mountains of Romania, White Pine needles of Hungary, Blue Amber of Budapest and Black Cardamon of Moldova.


Ahhhhh, there's my green!! I didn't do too bad. (patting self on back)

Read the full description here! They don't allow me to post their writings for the description (we can the perfume notes  tho)  but D. is a vampire!! So cool!!
http://www.nocturnealchemy.com/d.html

I don't know how I feel about this one. I like it, yet I don't! Isn't that weird? It's crazy different, but I'm not sure I'd want to wear this in public. It's kind of odd smelling. I think some would like it but a lot wouldn't. It's bitter, warped and off putting in a way. But on the other hand it's unique, compelling and so wild!

Our 25th wedding anniversary is tomorrow

Always said we'd have a party but we're not. There's not too many people I'd want to invite. ROFLMAO

All my siblings live out of state. It's my younger brother's anniversary too. We all got married the same day.  In Virginia City.  Here's a pic when we went to Lake Tahoe the same trip.

Here's me now:

 

 

I ditched the 80's hairdo!

 

 

Blind pick of a BPAL.

 

 

The Blasphemare Reliquary

 

WTF?

 

Yellow in color. Snort. This is from the Carnaval Diabolique series (which is still dark-BAH!) http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/carnaval.html

 

I LOVE the Carnaval Diabolique scents. They are usually resinous, hearty, bold and incense-y. This Reliquary looks far from that though.... Guess I shouldn't assume the scent by the color.

 

Yummmm, cologne, spicy in the vial. Mah-vel-ous on the hand! It has a slight fruity tone but mainly it's reminds me of a man's scent. Musk, citrus, jasmine? It's so complex and perfect for either gender. I do get a slight mint too. I need a bottle of this.

 

Getting a bit creamy now after about 4 minutes. It reminds me of the colognes my Uncles smelled of when I was younger, like 8 or 9 years old. That smell with a modern twist.

What's in this?

Ethiopian myrrh, Damascus rose, boswellia, galbanum, and copal.

 

Galbanum: a light-brown, yellowish or greenish-yellow colour, and has a disagreeable, bitter taste, a peculiar, somewhat musky odour, an intense green scent

 

Copal: a name given to tree resin that is particularly identified with the aromatic resins used by the cultures of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica as ceremonially burned incense and other purposes.

 

Boswellia: is a genus of trees in Sapindales order, known for their fragrant resin which has many pharmacological uses, particularly as anti-inflammatories. The Biblical incense frankincense was probably an extract from the resin of the tree, Boswellia sacra.

 

I'll say it again! I wubs me some Wiki!!! I wubs me some Carnaval Diabolique!!