Thursday Thought

Wigglebutt Wednesday!

Greetings from the Wigglebutts!

-Ranger-

Frame 1: "Sorry I chewed up the cats toy, Mom."

Frame 2: "Haha j/k! It was delicious!" 

My little sous chef is feeling much better after a week of her medicine. :) 

"What's a handsome boy gotta do to get a refill around here?"

Ranger and his gecko

Isabella thinks Lucky is her pillow haha

"Muhahwh I've caught you, evil tail!" -Kojak

Sharing his bed with Isabella❤️

I covered her up, and then went to get a drink. She followed me into the kitchen still covered in the blanket lol.

Ranger with all of his "babies"

Tea Time Tuesday: Lemon and Ginger from TeaPigs

For Tea Time today, I thought I'd share what I'm drinking at the moment, which is, "Lemon and Ginger" from TeaPigs. This is my first cup of tea in nearly a week, and it is delicious! I had to go on a bit of a tea hiatus when my doctors adjusted and changed some of the medication recently. (On that note, please excuse the lack of recent posts, I've been quite sick.) 

Onto the tea though! This is a delicious herbal infusion of lemon and ginger. It's not too tart from the lemon, nor is it too spicy from the ginger. The balance of both form the perfect flavor combination. This is a light enough tea to enjoy any time of the day. Since it's herbal and caffeine-free, I'm enjoying this one at 4:00am, hoping it will lull me back to sleep soon. ;) 

I let this steep for approximately 8 minutes before drinking. I like to steep my herbals a bit longer for more kick. The ingredient list includes whole forms of: ginger, lemongrass, lemon peel, and licorice root. 

The little box you see included in the picture is a mini sample. I purchased a sampler set from their website several months ago when I wanted to try out the brand. TeaPigs teas come in tea temples (pyramids) and contain whole leaf vs ground, for more flavor. Although I can see the convince in the tea temples if you don't want to fuss over loose-leaf, I do however wish they would also offer their blends in loose-leaf tins as well for those of us who prefer loose-leaf. (I will dedicate a future Tea Time post to the reasons I prefer loose-leaf, vs bags or temples.) 

If you're looking for a well balanced, flavorful herbal blend though, and enjoy the convince of tea pyramids/temples, then I'd really recommend, "Lemon and Ginger" from TeaPigs. Also, I had a very good experience with both shipping and the company in general, so I find them to be an excellent company! Some, not all of their teas are also available in Fresh Market, if you have one near you. 

Items mentioned in this post:

-Tea is from TeaPigs (I ordered from their US website.)

-Frog mug is from Pier 1 imports 

-Tea bag holder is from DLpottery's Etsy page

Label your makeup!

Happy Monday, Beauties!

If you wear makeup, one of the best tips I can give you is to put a little label on each item with the expiration date. This will help you keep track of what's in your collection, make sure everything is being used up, and will help you know when to toss out expired items. No makeup product, regardless of the price tag, is worth a trip to the eye doctor because you used a product past it's prime and developed an infection. ;) 

Some makeup comes with a tiny box and a number beside it on the packaging; this tells you to use it within that amount of time before it expires. (Example: 6M = once opened, you need to use your product within 6 months, then replace it.) Not all products have that information because in the US, we don't have national standards for cosmetics. If you're not certain when your item expires, you can use a website like  www.Cosmetic.net to enter the brand name, and the lot code on the product. While they don't have every brand on their website, they do have a large variety, so hopefully it will be helpful. (The lot code can be tiny, and often branded into the product itself, or on the label.) That website can tell you when the product was made (what batch it was in, the year, etc) and when it expires for many products. Just as a good rule of thumb, many products, even ones you haven't opened yet, have a shelf life of about 3 years before the chemicals begin to destabilize, which can make the products less effective. This means if you have products that have say in you're collection unopened/unused for several years, it may still be bad because it's reached its shelf life. Natural/organic cosmetics expire more quickly because of the ingredients they use in them. This is why it's important to label everything as soon as you purchase it, and know when your products need to be replaced.

I hope this little tip helps you enjoy your makeup more safely! 

(I used a label maker to put little date labels on each of my items so I'll know when they expire. The picture I've included is just an example of a few ways you can adhere to the labels to your products. If you do not have a label maker, you could also use a fine tipped sharpie and place a piece of tape over it to prevent smudging. I also recommend apps like BeautyCache for photographing each item, listing the price, brand, shade, and dates so you know what's in your collection that way as well. If your on a beauty low/no-buy, that app is an excellent way to keep you on track! 

Thursday Thought...

Wigglebutt Wednesday: A sick Kelti Koo

We've had a sick little Aussie girl in our home today. Mykelti gave me a bit of a scare earlier in the day when she became violently ill, so I rushed her over to the vet. They checked her out and made sure there was no blockage or other issues going on, and then eventually gave us the "ok" to head back home, thankfully. She'll be taking some medicine for a few weeks, and then should be back to her normal, energetic self soon. They think she has a severe bacterial infection, based on the samples they tested. (We aren't sure what caused it.) In the mean time, she's enjoying the extra TLC including fresh baked chicken & rice, and Gatorade to keep her hydrated.

She was a good girl at the vets office. She smiles all the time, even when she doesn't feel well. 

"Wait a minute! This is the vet's office, not the pet store. Lies!!"

Back home, all snuggled in and feeling better.

For anyone wondering, Mykelti is a Standard Australian Shepherd, 3 years old, and weights 45lbs. She is a Blue Merle with tan and white points, and Heterochromia. (Her eyes are different colors.) 

Tea Time Tuesday, tea-spiration:

My Best Friend's Wedding

My best friend married her sweetheart yesterday! It was such a beautiful ceremony! I thought I would share a bit of the celebrations from yesterday.❤️👰💍

Thursday Thoughts

Wigglebutt Wednesday

Tea Time and 29

Royal Albert (Old Country Roses)

Today was my birthday, so I wanted to share a bit of that in today's post. For my birthday, I received my china dream come true: an Old Country Roses set from Royal Albert! It actually took up residence in our home on the 4th of July when Nick took me to pick out the patten I wanted, but being a more traditional person, I didn't allow myself to use it until my official birthday today! :) To go along with the beautiful china, I broke out the sample of Harney and Son's, "Birthday Tea" blend that I purchased with my last order. I was saving it especially for my birthday to have something to look forward to. 

This is a unique blend to say the least. Upon opening the package I thought I was really going to dislike this tea because it smells a bit reminiscent of children's cough syrup. After brewing it however, everything steeped into a wonderful, fruity tea with a gorgeous red color. So, don't let the initial scent before brewing throw you off to this tea if you are wanting to try it. Once steeped, it's quite lovely. The ingredients are listed as: Hibiscus, rosehips, decaf Ceylon, raspberry flavor, blueberry flavor, pomegranate flavor, vanilla flavor, spearmint, peppermint, marigold petals, cornflowers, natural and artificial flavors. 

Overall, I'm enjoying this tea. I'm currently winding down the day with another cup of it. While it is good, there are others prefer more, so this won't be a repurchase for me right now. This would make a cute addition to a birthday gift for any tea lover though. The full size comes in a fun, colorful tin with 20 sachets and you can order it from the Harney and Sons website. This sample I used is loose-leaf, which I prefer. 

The ride on the way to dinner earlier. One of my favorite things about Summer,  is the lush green trees that line the roads. (I wasn't driving.) 

Birthday shenanigans with Nick.❤️

Annual birthday picture with Ranger and Mykelti. 🐶

Birthday goodies from my love and the furbabies. 

An Ode to Command Hooks

I love Command Hooks *almost* as much as I love tea time! I use them all over our home to organize with; they are such fantastic little ways to organize clutter in a home! I decided to reorganize the inside of the cabinet door tonight and add a few more hooks. (You might be a tea addict if you have a cabinet door devoted to tea accessories.😉)  ☕️💗☕️ 

Thursday Thoughts

This pathetically speaks for itself. 

Wigglebutt Wednesday

Ranger 

Isabella and Kojak

Lucky 

Mykelti

Tea & Tunes Tuesday

For Tea Time today, I'm featuring one of my very favorite teas: Kusmi Chocolate Mint. It is an exceptional tea, from one of my very favorite companies. This tea is a decadent black tea blend that combines mint, with actual chunks of chocolate. When I have guests over who are devoute coffee drinkers, this is typically the tea I brew to "convert" them into trying tea. I highly recommend this blend!

For Tunes today, I'm loving, "Find Me" from Boyce Avenue. I've been listening to them for several years now, and absolutely LOVE their music!