The Bathing Garden - Faerie Call

Scent Description: Fresh blackberries covered in clotted cream and topped with a layer of strawberry cotton candy.

Weight Melted: 1.1 oz

Location of Warmer: Kitchen, in tealight warmer

Cold Sniff: 4/5 Creamy, tart blackberries and sweet strawberries. That tart creaminess was a bit off putting, but I was couting on it diminishing as the wax is melted.

Warm Sniff: 5/5 That tart note went away! Delicious sweet berries. You know me and my sweet scents - gotta have 'em!

Scent Strength: 2/3

Scent Throw: >3/3 This filled the entire house. Not to self: melt one cube next time.

Melting Power: 4/5 I got about 7.5 hours of scent from two cubes.

Repurchase: Definitely! This is going on my TBG must-have list, especially since I've accidentally discovered a few awesome blends with it!

One Year

One year ago today I landed in South Korea, beginning one of the most amazing and yet trying years of my life. In February, our monthly Band of Bloggers post asked us about our goals for the year. I said I wanted to move forward. In short, I think I'm succeeding splendidly. I've done so much this year - things I would have never dreamed of doing before coming here and using this place as a stepping stone to work on life!

Blogmas - December 23-26: Merry Christmas!

Friday the 23rd was one of three planned gatherings for Christmas. This particular one was a more party-esque style one, so M and I planned appropriately and took the bus to Pangyo.

Blogmas 2016 - December 17-22

There is no in between for me, is there? Either I'm having too much of a lazy day to sit at the computer, or I'm so busy that I can't find the time or energy to write out a post at the end of the day. What's that? I can un-lazify myself? No. Not an option. LOL

Candles From the Keeping Room - Juniper Berry & Cedar

Scent Description: Festive and clean. The perfect scent for spa or manly scents. Fruity and woody opening containing sparkling grapefruit, citron, and juniper berries followed by a middle note of wild ivy and finishing with a touch of warm white musk, cedar, and balsam.

Date Received: July 26, 2016

Weight Melted: 1.0 oz

Location of Warmer: Living room, in tealight warmer

Cold Sniff: 5/5 Bath and Body Works Balsam and Cedar mixed with a dash of juniper berry. Super delicious for those of you who are into pine and wood scents.

Warm Sniff: 5/5 No surprises once melted.

Scent Strength: 2.5/3

Scent Throw: >3/3 This filled the entire living room, hallway, bedroom, and part of the kitchen/dining area. Super strong throw!

Melting Power: 5/5 I got about 11 hours of scent from one tart. Whoa, nelly!

Repurchase: Definitely! Instant love! Bravo! Give me more! 

Happy Mail From Deb!

Deb from It's Always Something sent me a lovely package that arrived earlier this week. Now that the craziness has died down, I finally have a chance to share with you the amazing stuff she sent!

First off is the amazing card she made! Yes! Deb made  this with her own two hands! I'm amazed by the quality of the cards she's sent since she started her Project Life/card making adventure this year. These are seriously things I would expect to find in a specialty card store. So gorgeous!

Blogmas 2016 - December 16: Oops

Today I did quite a lot. Not as much as I wanted to, but I'll get to that in a bit.

Blogmas 2016 - December 9-15: Bad News or Good News First?

This post is a mixture of good and bad. That's life, though, ya know? Now that the week is over a lot of the bad news has bee nullified, but it still messed up my mood for the week!

First, though, some cute and happy happenings!
I cleaned the hamster homes and this time around I took two pictures. The first one you can see above. It's from Hammy scurrying around the bits of her home as they laid scattered on her desk. She even decided to jump from the desk to the floor while I had my hands full with wiping down her home. Methinks she has spent too much time taking skydiving lessons from Bunny. LOL!

Satin Suzie Scents - Rosemary Mint

Scent Description: Clean blend of fresh rosemary with refreshing mint.

Date Poured: November 1, 2016

Weight Melted: 1.3 oz

Location of Warmer: Living room, in tealight warmer

Cold Sniff: 5/5 A nice mashup of minty gum and mint scented cleaning products. I know that probably wasn't the intention, but I associate some specific mints with cleaning products and that's what I smell here.

Warm Sniff: 5/5 No surprises once melted. Just a pleasant, strong mint infusion for the home and mind. I melted this during a cleaning spree and the crisp mint kept me energized and motivated while the rosemary calmed me.

Scent Strength: 2.5/3

Scent Throw: >3/3 This filled the entire living room, bedroom, hallway, kitchen/dining area, and part of the office.

Melting Power: 4/5 I got about 7 hours of scent from two flowers.

Repurchase: Definitely! I loved this little minty blend. Next time I melt I will definitely use one flower instead of two.

Blogmas 2016 - December 6-8: Anniversary!

Okay, I'll admit. I had nothing to really write about for the past few days. I don't think you guys care for my rants about the anime we're watching, Parasyte. That show manages to reel me in and yet irk me to no end. It's turned itself into a soap opera and I'm about ready to drop it without bothering to finish the series.

Blogmas 2016 - December 5

Lame, short, textual post today. M was off today so we played some CS:GO together and I spent some time catching up on commenting, replying, and reading blogs. I also played some UO! I claimed some of my holiday rewards and started decorating my house for the holiday season.

One of M's friends was having a going away get together so M hung out with them for a while. He brought me home some food and we watched .hack//Beyond the World. We've always enjoyed the .hack series so to watch one we haven't seen before was nice.

We were supposed to go on a walk/hike today, but between some work stuff M had to take care of and his friend's goodbye party we didn't get a chance. We'll try again tomorrow. At the very least there are some errands we need to run, so I'll get to leave the house for that.

Okay, I'm off to watch another show with M. I hope your December 5th goes well (yay, timezones!) and your plans come to fruition!

Haul: Stickers from Brandys Shop!

This isn't exactly a Black Friday/Cyber Monday haul that I asked about in one of my Stop & Chats, but it arrived during that time so I'm going to rope it in with those other posts. LOL

Brandy's Shop is a sticker shop that specializes in stickers designed to correspond with the layouts of several commonly used planners such as the Erin Condren Life Planner and the Happy Planner from Me And My Big Ideas. I bought from them in late September and fell in love with their weekly kit style, so when they had a sale in early November I jumped at the chance to further stock up.

Let's get straight to it!

Blogmas 2016 - December 4: Cleaning & Decorating!

 Today I did some major cleaning as well as decorating. I never finished putting up the decorations my mom sent, so I took some time to put up some more decorations. I reached a decorating block halfway through, though, so I had to stop. Once that block happened, I redirected my efforts towards cleaning the house.

Candles From The Keeping Room - Winter Candle Apple

Don't mind the out-of-focus, blurry shot.

Scent Description: Crispy apple, pineapple, zests of orange, neroli, cinnamon, sandalwood, fresh musk, bamboo, patchouli.

Date Received: February 2016

Weight Melted: 1.0 oz

Location of Warmer: Living room, in tealight warmer.

Cold Sniff: 2/5 Musky note with a hint of generic, crappy Yankee Apple. Not any of Yankee's reformulations or better versions of Apple. Their really old, really plastic-ey apple.

Warm Sniff: 5/5 Ah, there's that delicious Winter Candle Apple we all know and love!

Scent Strength: 1.5/3

Scent Throw: 3/3 This filled the entire living room and just a little bit of the hallway.

Melting Power: 4/5 I got about 6.5 hours of scent from this tart.

Repurchase: Yes!

Blogmas 2016 - December 3: Ramblings of a Lizard

When will this sticker haul post come out? No cluuuuue! ;)

Today was a self care day. I woke up feeling like crap, even though I had a fair amount of sleep and I wasn't dehydrated. Dehydration is the most common reason for my icky wake-ups, so I'm always drinking lots of water and keep some by my bed for those nights when I wake up feeling like I haven't had a drink in years. I still don't know what caused it, but it's gone now so I guess I'll just chalk it up to a bad night.

Candles From the Keeping Room - Caramel Apple Fritters

Scent Description: No scent description available.

Date Received: July 26, 2016

Weight Melted: 1.7 oz

Location of Warmer: Kitchen, in tealight warmer.

Cold Sniff: 2/5 There was an incredibly strong butter note in this. Way way in the back, on the other side of the continent, hid some caramelized apples.

Warm Sniff: 2/5 Unfortunately, that butter note stayed strong even when melting.

Scent Strength: 3/3 It's hard not to notice when it smells like you're walking through a Butter Sauna. "Hello, would you like the sweet cream, European Style, or whipped, salted, and spreadable room?" On second thought, don't go to a Butter Sauna. Too many innuendos.

Scent Throw: >3/3 It. Was. Everywhere.

Melting Power: ?/5 I desperately held on for two hours before I had to call it quits.

Repurchase: No. All dramatic ramblings aside, this wasn't a scent I was overly fond of. If you're not a fan of strong, buttery scents, I would suggest you stay away. If that's your cup of tea, step right up and have at 'er!

Blogmas 2016 - December 2: Shipping!

Like this picture? Back in October Krispy Kreme Korea did a Pokémon themed promotion. M and I managed to pick up some of these poké-yummies a day before the promotion ended. I couldn't find an opportunity to include the picture awesomeness until now, so oogle your brain out at these long-gone goodies. LOL

Candles From the Keeping Room - Apple Peach Cobbler

Scent Description: No scent description available.

Date Received: July 26, 2016

Weight Melted: 0.9 oz

Location of Warmer: Living room, in tealight warmer

Cold Sniff: 5/5 Nice, spicy apples with a healthy side of bready peaches.

Warm Sniff: 5/5 No surprises once melted. Just delectable late fall/early winter goodness!

Scent Strength: 2.5/3

Scent Throw: 3/3 This filled the entire living room.

Melting Power: 5/5 I enjoyed 9 and a half hours of scent from one little pumpkin.

Repurchase: Yes! This was such a lovely scent. It helps that it's pretty, too. :)

Blogmas 2016 - December 1: Shopping!

The mysterious Redwood Biome. What creatures do you hide from me??

I may have done soooome shopping today. Not for myself, though I got incredibly close. I saw just a few too many sales that were still going on and my brain imploded from too many decisions.

Band of Bloggers - Vol. 12/December 2016

A full year of fragrant sharing with the Band of Bloggers rounds out 2016. Thank you for supporting the blogger community and taking the time to read and participate in our posts. We will be continuing the Band of Bloggers in 2017 but with some new writers and blogs to follow. Thank you Sunnee and Michelle for this past year of fellowship. We will miss you! 

Did you have any favorite wax moments this year? A vendor who went above and beyond? A blend that knocked your socks off? Did you have a RAOK or wax community experience that left you warm and fuzzy? Please share some of your favorite wax moments of 2016 with us.

 A well known member of the waxy community on Facebook had a life changing diagnosis earlier this year and the waxy community banded together to raise over $10,000 for her medical and life expenses! Another member lost her home in one of the devastating fires that hit North America and an auction raised money to help there. Currently, someone in is actively raising funds for another member's recent diagnosis (shh, it's still a secret!). I know the waxy world and certain waxy groups have a bad rap for drama, but I like to look at the positive aspects of what this lovely group of ladies and gentlemen can do instead. The continuous kindness and giving nature these people have continue to astound me.

I'd have to say SMT's Peggy's Blueberry Noel is the blend that comes to mind for this year's best impression. Who would have thought that wax would have such a grab-me-by-the-nose attraction to it?! 

As always, I'm ever amazed by the wonderful people this little hobby has gotten me in touch with. I love the connections and interactions I've made across the world. Here's to another year of meeting new and amazing people!

Please visit these Band of Bloggers blogs

and help support the blogger community!

Deb, at It's Always Something.

Julie, at The Redolent Mermaid.

Lauren, at Lolo Loves Scents.

Liz, at Furianne.

Michelle, at Waxing About.

Sunnee, at Fragrance Obsessed.

Thank you and have a beautiful rest of 2016!

Dessa's Homespun Scents - Cinnamon Garland

What better way to start off the last month of the year with some wax I bought a year ago?!

Scent Description: Crisp fresh bayberry infused with spicy ground cinnamon.

Weight Melted: 0.9 oz

Location of Warmer: Kitchen, in tealight warmer.

Cold Sniff: 4/5 Sweet & spicy cinnamon with a hint of a Christmas tree. At least, that's what my notes say from when I melted this. Now that I've read the scent description, I know it's bayberry!

Warm Sniff: 4/5 No surprises once melted.

Scent Strength: 2.5/3

Scent Throw: >3/3 This filled the kitchen/dining area, hallway, office, half of the living room, and the entryway.

Melting Power: 4/5 Seven solid hours of scent from this little grubby heart.

Repurchase: Definitely a yes! I can now say with confidence that Dessa's wax is still fantastic after a year and an international move!

Satin Suzie Scents - Apple Wreath

Scent Description: Dried fall apples mingle with spicy cinnamon, cloves and light balsam.

Date Poured: November 1, 2016

Weight Melted: 0.7 oz

Location of Warmer: Living room, in tealight warmer.

Cold Sniff: 2/5 Eh, I wasn't all that impressed with this on cold sniff. There was a faint playdough note to the wax, and I was given images of my childhood genius idea to add some cinnamon and honey to my own never-dry clay for 'extra stick and nice smelling'. Spoiler: it did not work.

Warm Sniff: 5/5 I was so happy when this turned into a completely different scent once melted. Gentle apples thrown on the stove with some cinnamon and cloves. As the scent melts on, a very faint balsam note makes itself heard. I melted this for our Thanksgiving get together and it was strong enough that we could smell it over the wonderful foods, yet gentle enough that it didn't interfere with our taste buds. I received many compliments on how lovely the house smelled.

Scent Strength: 1.5/3

Scent Throw: >3/3 This filled the entire living room, bedroom, hallway, and kitchen/dining area.

Melting Power: ~4/5 It's hard to pinpoint exactly how long this scent lasted, as I was drifting in and out of a food induced coma. I can say it lasted at least 6 hours for sure!

Purchase: YES! It's the perfect melt for holiday cheer and gentle enough to assault my guests' noses with!

Satin Suzie Scents - Once Upon a Dream

Scent Description: Lavender, marshmallow, milk and cake.

Date Poured: October 26, 2016

Weight Melted: 1.3 oz

Location of Warmer: Kitchen, in tealight warmer

Cold Sniff: 5/5 I'm a sucker for lavender and sweet, creamy bakery.

Warm Sniff: 5/5 Sweet and creamy cake with a spike of herbal lavender. Mixed surprisingly well to create a new take on my beloved creamy lavender marshmallow cake.

Scent Strength: 1.5/3

Scent Throw: 3/3 This filled the entire kitchen/dining area, hallway, and office.

Melting Power: 4/5 I got about 6 hours of scent from two flowers.

Purchase: Definitely! I'm a huge fan of how this turned out!

Satin Suzie Scents Wax Tarts

A little while ago I was contacted by Bernadette, the owner of Satin Suzie Scents. She offered to send some wax in exchange for a review. I checked out her website and realized this was a company I had been eyeballing since her company was Wax Chat's Vendor of the Week.

We exchanged a few emails before I shared my address and scent likes/dislikes. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much wax Bernadette had spoiled me with!

Stop & Chat: November 24-27 - Canceled, Success, and Planners!

I originally sat down for this post on Thursday evening. I didn't trust myself or the words I would type, so I let the post and my mind sit until I had more happy events to write about. Unfortunately, things have a way of compounding and I find it hard not to acknowledge that I'm letting the negative overshadow the positive.

Stop & Chat: Thanksgiving Week - AAAAAH!!!!

I'm not sure whether I should run or hope this measly tent protects me.

Does anybody else feel like they're running around like a chicken with their head chopped off? No? Only me? Crap, I haven't perfected this little thing called "life" yet and it's so freaking awesome!

Fall Fun Series - Thanksgiving Menu & Plans!

Hello, friends! Today's Fall Fun Series post will be about Thanksgiving. I'll tell you my super awesome menu, let you in on some super secret plans, and just blab a little about Thanksgiving and what it means to me this year.

The Bathing Garden - Illusions of the Labyrinth

Scent Description: Mandarin, musk, sugar, and a woodsy violet.

Weight Melted: 1.1 oz

Location of Warmer: Kitchen, in tealight warmer

Cold Sniff: 4/5 A delicious citrus and wood blend.

Warm Sniff: 4/5 A pleasant, soft mix of sweet, citrusy woods with an even gentler overlay of violets.

Scent Strength: 1/3 I almost poured this wax out early because I thought I couldn't smell it. Then, I went outside on the porch to grab something and noticed the scent as I came in. Fair warning to those of you who haven't melted this before! If you're in the room it's melting in, it's so gentle you won't notice it's there after a while. Leave the area and come back to double check and see if the scent is actually there.

Scent Throw: 3/3 This filled the entire kitchen/dining area, hallway, office, entryway, and part of the living room.

Melting Power: 4/5 Two cubes lasted about 7 hours.

Repurchase: Yes! Such a soothing, gentle scent. I melted this in the middle of a five hour deep cleaning session and it really helped calm me down when I was getting overwhelmed.

The Bathing Garden - Evernight

Scent Description: Lavender and lilac are highlighted with a touch of eucalyptus and blended with soft woods, white musk, and sugary vanilla.

Weight Melted: 1.0 oz

Location of Warmer: Kitchen, in tealight warmer

Cold Sniff: 4.5/5 I'm a huge lavender fan, so anything lavender usually has me swooning.

Warm Sniff: 5/5 The lavender and lilac take the edge off the eucalyptus and the soft, musky vanilla gets to poke its head through. The woody notes are slight, but they're just noticeable enough to satisfy the nose.

Scent Strength: 2/3

Scent Throw: >3/3 This filled the entire kitchen/dining area, hallway, office, entryway, and part of the living room.

Melting Power: 4/5 Two cubes lasted about 7.5 hours.

Repurchase: Yes! I'm in love!

Stop & Chat: Quetzalcoatlus, The Great Escape, and Cleaning!

This ginormous bird is the Quetzal, or Quetzalcoatlus, one of my favorite dinosaurs on Ark: Survival Evolved. You can have a platform saddle, which lets you build an air base of sorts and carry other creatures, as demonstrated by our brand new spino! Deb asked me to show the Quetz so she can see it the next time I blog, and I'm not one to say no to showcasing stuff from my video games so I went right to the game and captured several screenshots!

Candles From The Keeping Room - Blueberry Pumpkin Patch

Scent Description: An autumn blend of fresh, farm picked blueberries and ripe pumpkins.

Date Received: July 26, 2016

Weight Melted: 0.7 oz

Location of Warmer: Kitchen, in tealight warmer

Cold Sniff: 4/5 A delicious blend of blueberry muffins and pumpkins. I'm surprised I pick up a bakery note; it's nowhere in the scent description.

Warm Sniff: 5/5 Absolutely delectable and almost 100% authentic blueberries. They permeated the air and wriggled their way into my heart, boasting of green gardens and fields of pumpkins. There's something about the blueberry in this that kept me walking through the kitchen, asking for more. I burned three tealight candles to make doubly (triply?) sure all of the scent was gone.

Scent Strength: 2.5/3

Scent Throw: >3/3 This filled the kitchen/dining area, hallway, office, and part of the entryway.

Melting Power: 5/5 16 hours of scent from this little tart. Color me impressed!

Repurchase: Most definitely! This was a melted hit!

Fall Fun Series - The Bathing Garden Mummy Mademoiselle Sugar Scrub

I felt it would be too repetitive writing about the same body care item so soon after my haul post. As today has gone by, however, I've realized that this is really the only fall body care item that has really caught my eye lately.

Mummy Mademoiselle in sugar scrub form smells like sweet and creamy strawberries. When rubbed on the skin, it manages to exfoliate without leaving the skin red and irritated. I've always had issues with rough products and my skin, so to find something that isn't too scratchy is a wonder I cherish every time it happens. My body thanks Shannon every time I use it.

I use this sugar scrub on my face every three to four days and it helps keep my skin looking and feeling bright and rejuvenated. That gentle exfoliation means I could scrub my face right before date night with M and not look like a tomato.

I'm at a loss for further words so how about instead I share the links to the other blogs participating in this series so you can check out what fall body care items they are loving!

Amanda at Thrifty Polished

Angela at Angela Kay

Ashley at The Bohemian Sassenach

Hayley at Polished At Heart

Jaybird at The Candle Enthusiast

Jessica at The Meltdown Blog

Julie at The Redolent Mermaid

Sandra at Finger Candy

Stephanie at Imperfectly Painted

Sunnee at Our Sunny Life

Haul: The Bathing Garden August 2016

This might be a bit out of season now that Halloween has passed, but my experience with Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas melts is they're fairly interchangeable in the cooler months. That works out if you seem to've fallen behind on melting.

This was a fairly monumental order for me because I finally decided to bite the bullet and try out some of Shannon's much praised bath and body!

I placed my order on August 4th and it shipped on September 15th, within her stated turn around time.

Candles From the Keeping Room - Sweet Harvest Moon

Scent Description: None available.

Date Received: July 26, 2016


Weight Melted: 0.7 oz

Location of Warmer: Kitchen, in tealight warmer

Cold Sniff: 2/5 One of those weird fake chocolatey melts with a hint of something leafy.

Warm Sniff: 2.5/5 The chocolate was still there, but it was subdued by the smell of cinnamon and fake leaves, kind of like fake scented holiday decor you might get from a craft store. It definitely wasn't my cup of tea, though.

Scent Strength: 2/3

Scent Throw: 3/3 This filled the entire kitchen/dining area, hallway, and office.

Melting Power: ?/5 I only let it go for about two hours before calling it quits and switching the wax out.

Repurchase: Nope. I really wasn't a fan of this and tossed the other half of the corn. Ah well, you win some and you lose some.

Stop & Chat: Thanksgiving Preparation!

What a surprise. Ark has made its way back into my gaming rotation. I'm getting ahead of myself, though, so let's backtrack to last week!

Band of Bloggers - Vol. 11/November 2016

Sweet, lovely November. Halloween has come and gone (hope you didn't gorge on candy!), the election is about to be over (it feels like it has been years!) and now, we're (technically) in the full swing of the holiday season! Thanksgiving will be here in just a few short weeks, and before you know it, it will be all Christmas all the time. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

The Band of Bloggers question for November is:

What does your ideal Thanksgiving day and table look like? What are you eating? Any candles or tarts burning/melting in the room? Who fills your table? Are you stressed? What does your house look like? How's the weather? Give us the deets!

Thanksgiving day is spent with people I love and care about. Turkey and ham are roasting in the oven. Pies are laid out on the buffet table. Mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, corn, and so much more than I can list or care to eat are there as well. I guess cranberry jam is there, though I don't like it. There are fancy place mats and dishes laid out on an expanded table that accommodates 10+ people. Anything scented like Leaves from B&BW scents the house alongside the wonderful aromas of food. The people are rather vague in my mind. M is there, but we could be at a table with his family or mine and I would be equally happy. This year several families are looking at getting together for Thanksgiving and having our own get together. If that falls through, M and I will still open our house up to his coworkers who are single or separated from family while here.

I would probably be stressed, as I always am during large gatherings. Should I be helping? Did I make this right? Did I remember so-and-so's name correctly? Is M okay? Did I offend anyone? Am I supposed to be doing something else? Is that little one okay cutting up the turkey? Did the other little one get her/himself in trouble playing by the glassware? What was that loud bang? *insert screams of confusion*

Our house has always been empty on Thanksgiving, except for 2013 and 2014. In 2013 we got together with our coworkers and played football. In 2014 I was home alone, as M was at AIT. So normally our house is pretty empty. It's also never decorated. This year is out of the ordinary. It's not only decorated, it should be full and bustling. Anyway, back to my answer. The house will start off nice and clean and set up to accommodate many people. It will be nicely decorated with fall -and leftover Halloween, let's face it- and just a little bit of winter/Christmas decor. The weather will be cold. I would prefer snow, but simply being cold is enough for me.

Let's see... Thanksgiving has always been the first day that we would start playing Christmas tunes in the house, so that's probably what I would want playing. After we've finished eating, football is usually thrown on the TV while we enter into our comatose states. The end of the day would be spent cleaning so Black Friday could be spent decorating the house and putting up the tree. The past few years I've actually participated in some of the Black Friday shopping, so that might be a thing if I see something I'm interested in. Wait. I'm in Korea and Black Friday isn't a thing here. I'll wait for Cyber Monday instead. :) Works out better, anyway. I can deal with internet traffic instead of crowded lines and stores.

Last but not least, there have to be video games. When I was younger, I would always spend part of my Thanksgiving on UO with my friends, and we would do a mock Thanksgiving meal and run some sort of dungeon together. Probably Blighted Grove or a champion spawn (Deb, I'm totally catering to you by including all of these details :P). I would also take time to play some games on the XBox with my siblings. We would mostly play Halo together, or watch a movie... series... marathon... Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, usually.

There's my rather long and complicated answer. I think I switched between 'ideal' and 'what used to be my norm' for a lot of these answers. Oh well!

______________________________________

Please visit these Band of Bloggers blogs

and help support the blogger community!

Deb, at It's Always Something.

Julie, at The Redolent Mermaid.

Lauren, at Lolo Loves Scents.

Liz, at Furianne. 

Michelle, at Waxing About.

Sunnee, at Fragrance Obsessed.

Thank you and have a wonderful weekend!

Haul: Lush Korea September 2016

Lush restock time! I foolishly let my shampoo run out and had to use drugstore stuff for about a week, and my scalp is still hating me for it. I'm also slowly checking into indie vendors for a good shampoo & conditioner solution, but until I find something that works I'm going to have to keep going back to Lush. This particular haul was a little bit of restocking, little bit of trying new things, little bit of "hey Liz wants to spoil herself so let her buy some bubble bars, dammit!"

Stop & Chat - October

I was a big baby. So big, in fact, I earned a lovely nickname from my parents: Buddha belly. LOL The story of my big belly has been told several times through my life, and holds a special place in my heart. M even calls me that after a particularly hearty meal. You know, the one where pant belts and zippers need to be undone and you feel like you're about to burst.

In Itaewon, there's a restaurant named Buddha's Belly. Of course I've taken several pictures and sent them to my parents, declaring that I have to eat there at some point.

In our excursions to Myeongdong and Itaewon at the beginning of the month, I picked up a miniature Buddha. He sits with the UO-esque home on M's desk.

Sassy Girl Aroma - Candy Apple Sleigh Ride

Scent Description: No scent description available.

Date Received: February 26, 2016

Weight Melted: 0.7 oz

Location of Warmer: Living room, in tealight warmer

Cold Sniff: 5/5 This reminds me of an old time cinnamon gum I would always get around Christmas.

Warm Sniff: 5/5 No surprises once melted, just awesome cinnamon goodness. The cinnamon isn't normal in your face cinnamon. I think it's whatever makes this smell like candy to me.

Scent Strength: 2/3

Scent Throw: >3/3 This filled the living room, bedroom, office, kitchen... the whole house, okay? It filled the whole house. LOL

Melting Power: 4/5 I got about 6.5 hours of scent from this sample cup.

Repurchase: Yes! M picked this scent out for me when I had trouble choosing, and I'm glad he did. 

L3 Waxy Wonders - Apple Butterscotch Cake

Scent Description: Sweet apples, sticky caramel, golden butterscotch and yellow cake.

Date Poured: November 18, 2015

Weight Melted: 1.5 oz

Location of Warmer: Kitchen, in tealight warmer

Cold Sniff: 4/5 Caramel and crunchy apples with a hint of cakey goodness.

Warm Sniff: 4/5 No surprises once melted.

Scent Strength: 1.5/3

Scent Throw: 3/3 This filled the entire kitchen/dining area, hallway, and office.

Melting Power: 5/5 I got about 10 hours from half of this tart cup.

Repurchase: Yes! This was a perfect melt to set the mood for hayrides and mazes and pumpkin carving. Not that I got to do any of that, but I've been living vicariously through YouTube vloggers' videos. :)

Stop & Chat: October 7-15

A miniature house M picked up in Itaewon

Last weekend I spent more time working on my Korean and had a very lazy weekend. Friday we weren't able to go to the international fireworks festival we wanted to attend, and Sunday ended up making up for that excitement in a way I did not ask for.

L3 Waxy Wonders - This is Halloween

Scent Description: Dreamsicle (creamy orange ice cream wrapped around vanilla ice cream), Fresh Picked Strawberries, berry tea.

Date Received: January 4, 2016

Weight Melted: 0.9 oz

Location of Warmer: Office, in tealight warmer

Cold Sniff: 5/5 A surprising mix of something orange and creamy with a hint of tea and berries.

Warm Sniff: 5/5 I wouldn't call this a typical fall/Halloween scent, which is exactly what I've been craving. I feel like every fall, halloween, and winter themed scent has to have some cinnamon in it, and my nose is getting a bit tired of the same old scent. Anyway, once melted this had a very very slight fizz to it that melds with sweet strawberries and tea in a way that pleases my nose. I've already melted the rest of this clamshell and loved every minute of it!

Scent Strength: 1.5/3
  
Scent Throw: 3/3 This filled the entire office, kitchen/dining area, and hallway.

Melting Power: 4/5 I got about seven and a half hours of strong scent from two cubes.

Repurchase: Definitely! This scent also works for any time of year, so that's a double bonus for me.

L3 Waxy Wonders - Sleepy Hollow

Scent Description: Vanilla pound cake with pumpkin cream filling and cream cheese frosting.

Date Received: January 4, 2016

Weight Melted: 0.9 oz

Location of Warmer: Living room, in tealight warmer

Cold Sniff: 5/5 Creamy pumpkin cream cheese cakey goodness. Just a hint of cinnamon.

Warm Sniff: 5/5 The only difference once melted was the cinnamon's prevalence. It went from a hint of cinnamon to "okay, there is definitely a healthy helping here."

Scent Strength: 2/3

Scent Throw: 3/3 This filled the entire living room.

Melting Power: 4/5 I got about 7 hours of scent from 2 cubes.

Repurchase: Yes! I quite enjoyed this blend and its performance!

An Ameri-Fili-Rean Hodgepodge: Bastardized Pancit

Okay, I admit the finished product isn't that photogenic, but it tastes delicious as all get out!

I've grown up with two Filipino dishes taking a prevalent place in my life: chicken adobo and pancit. Those are my dad's favorite "home" meals, so whenever we visit my grandparents they are always on the menu. For my freshman year of college, I visited my grandparents for Thanksgiving and came back with a Filipino-sized helping of both meals. Between both foods, I was fully fed for the rest of the semester.

My mom learned how to make these meals from Grandma, but there is always a different taste to her versions versus Grandma's versions. I love both equally, but I usually refer to Mom's as the American version and Grandma's as the Filipino version. I've only ever made pancit, and my version is vastly different from Mom's or Grandma's. M and I lovingly refer to my abominations as "bastardized pancit."

Enter my most recent attempt at pancit, which morphed into the hodgepodge of cultures above. It's delicious, though, so that's all that matters! So delicious, M and I are incorporating it into our normal meals we make.

*Disclaimer: I am not an official chef and I also don't write tutorials often so excuse my inability to write coherent cooking step-by-steps. I also have a bit of a snarky personality so excuse my horrible humor.

Anyway, let's get to the actual meat of the post!

Fall Fun Series - Pumpkin Theme!

Welcome back to our Fall Fun Series! I thought I'd share my meager bit of pumpkin themed decor with you guys today. :)

Read: Peony in Love

Peony in Love
by Lisa See
2007

Fiction

In seventeenth-century China, in an elaborate villa on the shores of Hangzhou's West Lake, Peony lives a sheltered life. One night, during a theatrical performance in her family's garden, Peony catches sight of an elegant, handsome man and is immediately overcome with emotion. So begins Peony's unforgettable journey of love and destiny, desire and sorrow, the living world and the afterworld. Eventually expelled from all she's known, Peony is thrust into a realm where hungry ghosts wander the earth,  written words have the power to hurt and kill, and dreams are as vivid as waking life. Lisa See's novel, based on actual historical events, evokes vividly another time and place - where three generations of women become enmeshed in a dramatic story, uncover past secrets and tragedies, and learn that love can transcend death. Peony in Love will make you ache in heart and mind for young Peony and all the women of the world who want to be heard.

(Above summary is on the back of the book and not my words.)

Spoilers below!

Fall Fun Series - Seoul International Fireworks Festival

Image credit seoul.go.kr's 2015 Fireworks Festival page.

Greetings, everyone! I hope this post finds you well, and if you happen to be reading this from any of the areas in the path of Hurricane Matthew, I hope your reading this means the danger has passed and you are safe. For my Fall event I'd like to showcase the Seoul International Fireworks Festival. 

Band of Bloggers - Vol. 10/October 2016

Aahhh, October.  We're full steam into fall now.  Leaves are reaching full color change.  Sweaters have been hauled out of storage.  Hot chocolates are being sipped again.  Pumpkins are out.  Halloween costumes need to be picked.  Christmas trees are showing up in stores.  Wait . . . what?! 

Let's get back to the spooky task at hand.  The Band of Bloggers ghoulishly fun question for October is:

What do ghosts smell like?

If I had to pick something that ghosts smell like, I would have to go with smoke. The smoky breath of a campfire on a crisp fall night. There is no warmth, but the smell hints at it before stealing your breath away in icy despair.

Sorry, I couldn't resist turning that into a little bit of a writing prompt. :)

--------------------------------------------

Please visit these Band of Bloggers blogs

and help support the blogger community!

Deb, at It's Always Something.

Julie, at The Redolent Mermaid.

Lauren, at Lolo Loves Scents.

Liz, at Furianne. 

Michelle, at Waxing About.

Sunnee, at Fragrance Obsessed.

Thank you, and have a spooky day!

Stop & Chat: October 1-6

This is one of M's friends that he let live on the porch all summer. I did not find him until I started cleaning the porch and noticed him and three others similar to him just hanging out. Unfortunately, these are poisonous and I had to evict them. I'm finally prepping the porch for a deep clean that it's needed since yellow dust season, so I doubt even these mild-mannered guests would allow me to clean without a little bitey-bitey.

L3 Waxy Wonders - Pumpkin Apple Pie Crust

Scent Description: No description available.

Date Poured: September 15, 2015

Weight Melted: 1.3 oz, and I wish I had melted less now. *insert sobs of despair*

Location of Warmer: Living room, in tealight warmer

Cold Sniff: 3/5 A pleasant enough apple pie scent, with just a hint of pumpkins.

Warm Sniff: 5/5 What's this? What's this? There's [something] in the air!

Creamy pie goodness that's loaded with just enough pumpkins and apples to leave you wanting more. Just a teeny tiny hint of cinnamon.

Scent Strength: 2/3

Scent Throw: >3/3 This filled the entire house. Even closed doors were no match. The windows were open, too, which can sometimes help throw but more often than not steal away all of the waxy goodness to the outdoors.

Melting Power: 5/5 I got 12 hours, or about 2 tealight candles, from half of a leaf. I wish I had cut the leaf into smaller chunks, but I did not expect this kind of performance when I prepared the wax to melt.

Repurchase: Definitely! The only thing keeping me from ordering is my ever growing list of other vendors I want to try. As part of my attempts to try new things in Korea, I'm trying to extend that philosophy to other areas of my life. Don't get too comfortable with what I have and let that comfort zone dictate my life and all that jazz.