Melted - Ice Cream Filled Waffle Cone (CFTKR)

Ice Cream Filled Waffle Cone - 'A sweet candy coated waffle cone filled with yummy vanilla ice cream.'

I'm starting to see that I love Candles From The Keeping Room's ice cream scents.  This one might seem rather basic but oh my, it is wonderful.  There is a rich and creamy vanilla note, well blended with a hint of bakery from that waffle cone.  It is a sort of old fashioned comfort scent, good for anytime, perfect if you have company coming because it's 'basic.'

I melted this 1 oz. tart in my tea light warmer and had good strong scent and throw.

This is a great everyday scent to have on hand and I would happily get more of this one.

(This tart was gifted to me.)

(None of my wax posts are sponsored.)

Watched - The White Princess

 

The White Princess

2017

 

'Drawn from the novel of the same name by Philippa Gregory, "The White Princess" is a tale of power, family, love, and betrayal, charting one of the most tumultuous times in British history uniquely from the point of view of the women.  The tempestuous marriage between Elizabeth of York (Lizzie) and King Henry VII officially marks the conclusion of the War of the Roses, but the real battle for the throne is far from over.'

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

 

As with my post about The White Queen, this will be my thoughts about the TV series and history from that time in general.  I have not read the book, and saw things online that say the TV series changed quite a few things.  I will read the book eventually since I would like to get the whole collection of Philippa Gregory novels, even though they are notorious for being historically inaccurate.  They're still an enjoyable way to learn the basics of Tudor history.

 

But anyway, this post is about the TV series and I wrote down some thoughts as I watched it.

 

This show picks up right where The White Queen left off, with Henry VII's defeat of Richard III, so the year would be 1485.  It spans the years 1485-1499, ending with the execution of 'The Pretender,' Perkin Warbeck.  This is the shortest of the three Tudor TV series (White Queen, White Princess, Spanish Princess), only eight episodes so it rushes through events more quickly than the others.  That's too bad, because I think that's what makes it harder to understand some of the behaviors.  This is also my least favorite of the three shows.

 

Although the story picks up right where the other had left off, we have a whole new group of actors and actresses to get used to.  The only one returning from White Queen is the lady who plays Duchess Cecily, mother of deceased King Edward IV.  Most of this new group play the familiar characters in very different ways, and I did not like that.  Also a lot of the new group are much older, I suppose to be able to play familiar characters in their older years.  So that all took some getting used to.

Henry VII has claimed the throne of England and is forced to marry Lizzie, daughter of the former queen, Elizabeth.  This was an arrangement made well before the battle that allowed him to become king, a desperate power move made by their mothers (Elizabeth, and Margaret Beaufort) meant to finally unify the houses and bring peace.  Of course Henry and Lizzie, when the time comes, are totally against the marriage.  Lizzie was actually in love with Richard III who had usurped the throne, and was her own uncle.  He was killed in the battle though.  Had he won, Lizzie would have married him.  So I guess either way, she knew she'd be marrying the king.  It's just that she was hoping it would be Richard.

This show covers about 14 years, from the time Henry VII becomes king to the execution of 'The Pretender' Perkin Warbeck.  It shows the relationship between Henry and Lizzie change from hate and anger in being forced to marry, to eventually warming up to each other and becoming a strong, loving couple.  There is a scene fairly early on where they talk to each other about being puppets to their mothers' greed.  Henry says he never had a chance to know a normal life because from the day he was born he was groomed to be king, all because his mother was obsessed with it.  Lizzie says that she too was robbed of a normal life because her mother used her in her ongoing quest for revenge.  They wonder to each other what their lives could have been.  It's a very sad scene.  And they start to warm up to each other after that.

The show continues to follow Margaret Beaufort's plotting and manipulation, going to any lengths to keep her son on the throne.  She is played in this series by the lady who played Kat Stark (the mother) in Game of Thrones, and while I liked her in that and I do like her in this, she plays the character of Margaret in more of a downright mean way.  The lady who played her in White Queen played her in a more subtle-mean way, able to smile and be pleasant but all the while plotting.  Of the three different ladies who play Margaret in the three Tudor shows, this version was my least favorite.

I absolutely could not stand the new lady who plays Elizabeth.  It would have been so much better if the original actress from White Queen could have returned.  No, this new one always seems sort of, I don't know, crazy.  The actress tried to play her like she's always so peaceful and calm, even when her words were calculated and there was always a plot in the works.  The most annoying part was how she always spoke in a sort of mystical voice, drawing out her words, like Galadriel (Lord of the Rings movies) in the vision sequences.  They were probably trying to keep reminding us that Elizabeth supposedly had powers but it just came across as ridiculous.

Throughout the series Henry had to deal with threats to throne.  There was a little boy named Edward 'Teddy' Plantaganet who did technically have a claim to the throne but it was the York supporters who made him a threat, not he himself.  He was a little boy with only his older sister Maggie.  I think their parents were dead . . . ?  They were cousins to Lizzie, and I think living at court.  Anyway, Henry locked little Teddy up in the tower to contain the threat.  Maggie was obsessed with getting him out so they could go away and live quietly somewhere.  She swore time and time again they were not a threat and did not want the throne.  Henry's mother filled his head with paranoia though, and Teddy remained locked up for like 10 years and then was executed.

Maggie Pole's story, character, and the two women who played her throughout the three Tudor shows has become one of my favorites.  Her story is one that angers me so much, not because of her choices but because of the greedy, angry, power hungry people in charge all around her.  She TRIED her whole life to get away from court and just live a quiet life.  They wouldn't let her though.  (By 'they' I mean Henry, his mother, even Lizzie at times.)  She was a loyal servant in her younger years, trying endlessly to get her brother Teddy released.  She promised, vowed, swore they'd go away, give up their family name and claim to the throne if they would just be allowed to live privately away from court.  She was eventually married off to a gentle, caring man and they had a happy, peaceful life in the country for some time, although Teddy was still locked up.  As Henry's paranoia about threats grew though, he started summoning Maggie and her husband back to court, sending her husband on missions, keeping Maggie under a watchful eye.  When 'The Pretender' Perkin Warbeck appeared on the scene in France, Henry sent Maggie there to see if she could figure out if he was really the missing prince he claimed to be.  She didn't want to go, didn't want to be part of this chaos, and definitely didn't want the burden of being the one to decide.  Just one more instance where they wouldn't leave her alone.  THEY kept involving her.  It wasn't her trying to stay involved.  It all makes me so sad and angry.

 

So, 'The Pretender' Perkin Warbeck.  He came on the scene in France, claiming to be Elizabeth's long lost son, one of the two missing princes.  In White Queen, Elizabeth had secretly gotten her younger son sent away and it was a look-alike peasant boy that Richard III had taken to the tower.  She was secretly reunited with him at the end of White Queen but at the beginning of White Princess had to send him into hiding again when the king's men came to take the family to the palace for the impending wedding.  Over time, as years went by, there was no word from or about the boy and it was eventually thought he'd been killed that day by the king's men, on orders of his mother Margaret.  This is what fueled Elizabeth's continued hatred and need for revenge against the Tudors.

Anyway, I couldn't stand this guy.  The actor was annoying both in looks and mannerisms, and the way he played Perkin was ridiculous.  He acted way too smiley and perfect, acting like he was godlike and those in his presence were blessed to be there.  I might have felt more sympathy for his part of the story if not for the actor.

I have not checked if it's all new directors, etc. for this show compared to White Queen but it sure does feel like it.  They made White Princess way too cheesy and soap opera-like.  The oooh spooky mystical way Elizabeth always spoke, the annoying godlike way Perkin carried on, some other things I haven't mentioned yet . . . just way too cheap and over the top.

I understand Henry's growing paranoia about the threats to his throne.  His mother kept filling his head with things, wanting everyone killed, swift action for everything.  For a while Henry got to where he was like, 'Wait, people are starting to hate me.  Maybe your counsel isn't so great after all, Mother.'  But then he started to get confused, torn between his mother and Lizzie and his own thoughts of what a good king should do.  I had to stop and re-watch one episode though, the next to last one, to see just where it all shifted and he suddenly seemed to be against Lizzie.  And I still can't quite figure it out.  I think part of the problem is that they had to rush through so much in just eight episodes, and some of it is the soap opera style that this series became towards the end.  Characters were suddenly changing in extreme ways, like Lizzie suddenly becoming a freakin' stone cold killer in ordering the deaths of Teddy and Perkin, and in Henry suddenly becoming this almost meek guy like a little boy clinging to his mother's skirt, in this case Lizzie's skirt.  This was right towards the end and I was like, 'Wait, what?  How did we get here?!'

So while this is my least favorite of the three Tudor shows, I did still enjoy it since I'm a sucker for Tudor history.  (Yes, I know this isn't historically accurate.)  It was fun and interesting to see the first scenes with young Arthur and Harry, children of Henry VII and Lizzie, laying the foundation for Spanish Princess and the most popular parts of the whole Tudor history.  Harry, as he was called as a child, would grow to become Henry VIII.

This show also gets to deal with the whole Perkin Warbeck part of history.  Was he really the missing prince?  I think most historians say no, he was not legit, but it's still interesting.  In this show, Lizzie is very involved in that whole part of it.  Some things I read online however, say there is no record of her ever meeting the guy, not even any record of her even being asked her opinion about him.  So has time made it into a bigger deal than it actually was back in the day?  In this show at least, it made for a good soap opera style part of the story.

So while this show did have its flaws, it's still good entertainment if you're into period pieces like this.  And I'm including this final picture just for a bit of fun.  I love it when there are behind the scenes photos of actors in full costume mixed with modern things like equipment in the background and talking to directors (?).  Love it!

(I got long winded again in this probably jumbled post.  And ya know what?  This is the edited version!  LOL  If you've made it this far, I thank you for your patience.)

Apr. 21 - Head Full of Mud

 

A chilly but sunny 38 degrees on this Friday morning in Wisconsin.  Yesterday turned out fairly okay.  After the rain in the morning, things settled down and we didn't get any of the severe weather later that we'd been hearing warnings about.  I think we're supposed to be windy but dry today, temps in the 50s.

Well, I did not do 30 minutes of huffin' and puffin' yesterday.  I was feeling mildly ill, possibly from the pneumonia shot I'd gotten at my doctor appointment.  I tell ya, any shots I've gotten since my c*vid hospital adventure sure do seem to kick my butt.  I'm not big on shots, I don't run out and get every one available for every little thing, but since pneumonia is what kept me in the hospital for 13 days and because diabetes puts me at higher risk for it, yeah I got this one.

I really didn't do much yesterday.  Got stuck in my head, thinking too much about weight and A1c, sort of getting bummed all over again about having diabetes.  I couldn't muster up any energy or ambition to do anything.  I tried distracting myself with the puzzle and some true crime TV, and that eventually worked.  I finished that puzzle (a nice Bavarian mountains/village scene) but once again did not bother taking a pic of it for this post.  Not sure if I'll start a new one today or try to find something else to entertain myself.

Hubby and I played our wizard game when he got home from work.  Then I played the other game, the free version, with his friend/coworker for a while later.  That was fun because we went into a 'noobie dungeon' that I hadn't been in before.  He had his nox mage character and I had my warrior.  It was chaotic at times but it was fun to finally be doing something besides the boring safe things I tend to stick with.  And now he and I are both picking on Hubby to try and get him to play too.  This friend is the one who originally got us into this game waaaaaay back in like 2000.  He and Hubby would play obsessively, every minute of every day that they weren't at work.  Since they worked 2nd shift back then, I decided to log on one evening while Hubby was at work, made a character for myself, and was immediately hooked just as much as they were.  LOL  (The game is called Ultima Online, if anyone cares.)

I had trouble sleeping last night, as I have been for a while now, so I'm feeling like I'm dragging this morning.  I see a lot of things I need to get done, things that I ignored all day yesterday, but energy is slow in coming again today.  I did work on my White Princess post yesterday.  I got sooooo long winded though that I need to totally redo it.  I'll work on that again when I get this posted and then see where the day takes me.  I don't think I'll try to work outside, still a bit chilly out there.  Maybe working on all the things I need to catch up on will get me some of the 30 minutes of huffin' and puffin' I need.

Oh!  Remember that historical landmark building that was moved?  I heard on the news yesterday, officials have clarified that it did NOT lose it's historical landmark status.  Well that's good.

Okay, I'm off now to hopefully make something of this day.

Melted - Raspberry Custard Tart (CFTKR)

Raspberry Custard Tart -'A charming, indulgent blend of ripe raspberries, tart berry medley and brown sugar over a creamy custard and vanilla base.'

This scent is more fruity than I thought it would be.  There is a nice, warm bakery note from the tart, and a sort of thick creamy note from the custard, but the berries are front and center in this blend.  That fruity note is crisp and sweet, a hint of tartness, sort of a happy vibe in the coziness of the bakery notes.

I melted this 0.9 oz. tart in my tea light warmer and had medium-strong scent and throw.

This was a nice enough scent but I wouldn't rush to get it again.

(This tart was gifted to me.)

(None of my wax posts are sponsored.)

Apr. 19 & 20 - Huffin' and Puffin'

Hello!  It's 43 and cloudy but fairly light on this Thursday morning in Wisconsin.  Yesterday was miserable.  It was cold and dark, windy and rainy.  We had storms and a lot of rain last night and earlier this morning but it's quiet for now.  So you know what this means, right?  I don't have to do yard work today!  LOL  The grass has reached the point where it definitely needs mowing though, the first mow of the year.

 

I didn't intend to skip posting yesterday.  I had an early doctor appointment and by the time I got home I just never got back around to it.  So what happened Tuesday that I missed posting about?  I can't even think of anything.  I think I put the coats of polyurethane on the box Hubby is making for his dad.  Then I shoved all that aside and started a new jigsaw puzzle.  I'm slowing down on puzzles now, never even took a pic of the previous one, but I still keep reaching for them over other possible pastimes.  I know I got increasingly crabby and anxious as the day went on.  Hubby even called me out on it in the evening.  I couldn't pinpoint anything that was causing it and eventually decided it must be the upcoming appointment.  That was weird though because my other diabetes checkups have not bothered me.

 

So yesterday (Wednesday) I was still feeling all anxious, and then got more anxious because I thought my blood pressure would be up and she'd be all concerned.  lol  My mind creating its own vicious cycles.  The appointment turned out fine, and my blood pressure was actually in the "beautiful" range, lower than it's been in forever.  She even asked if I was lightheaded at all.  She looked at my little book of blood sugar checks and said it all looks great.  All my other health numbers from last time looked great, "Your meds are doing their job."  She did scold me about my weight though, as I figured she would.  She asked what my plan to turn that around was, and I was like, "Umm, no plan at this point."  She said to try and do 30 minutes of "anything that gets you huffin' and puffin'."  Doesn't need to be organized exercise, can be things like yard work, cleaning, just walking.  So, yay.  I mean, I know it needs to be done but . . . yay.

 

She sent me for labs.  They did blood and urine this time.  This is the first time since the hospital that they've done a urine sample.  Of course I was all over MyChart every time I got a notification that new results were in.  Thankfully, everything still looks good.  Well, until the final one came in, the A1c check.  It's 6.6 this time, which is still under the goal of 7, but it's the biggest jump up I've had since bringing it down after the hospital.  (It was 6.1 six months ago.)  She did not saying anything about getting things under control but I immediately got down on myself about it.  I suspected I might have been getting a bit too careless about what I eat and this proves it.

 

You know how you wake up at random hours of the night and overthink things?  Well that's what kept happening last night.  The two hardest things . . . losing weight and getting A1c back down . . . just plagued my thoughts and got me all upset.  I don't know how I'm going to change what I eat, I'm already pretty minimal on my choices.  Nuts are my weakness because they're a healthy snack.  Okay, so they're a healthy choice but I eat way too many and those little buggers are quite fatty.  I know I'm being too hard on myself.  I mean, geez, my doctor was impressed with how well managed my diabetes has been.  But to me it's like, nope, need to get that A1c down!  I can very easily see how diabetics might end up with eating disorders.

 

I also got a pneumonia vaccine yesterday.  I'm not big on shots but since I did end up in the hospital for 13 days because of pneumonia, and because I'm at higher risk because of diabetes, I went ahead and got it again.  The last one didn't seem to bother me but this one has me feeling mildly ill.  I had the nurse give me the shot in my left arm, which is limited use anyway, hehe.  And yeah, my shoulder is freakin' sore today!

 

Oh, my doctor said I can give up my bedtime blood sugar check if I want.  I had wondered this a couple times before because my nighttime insulin dose doesn't change according to what my blood sugar is.  She asked if I ever have trouble getting test strips or lancets, because sometime insurance will only cover monthly amounts for three checks a day, not four.  I have not had any problems.  I was telling Hubby about this and he said, "Yeah, but I think you'd like the peace of mind of knowing where that number is."  And I think he's right.  I considered skipping it last night but did it in the end because, even though the dose won't change, it does show me how good or bad my numbers from supper are.  So I'll probably keep doing them for now.

 

Other than all that medical babble, not much else happened yesterday.  I did laundry, worked on the puzzle, finished watching Spanish Princess, and moped about my weight and A1c.  Today's not looking much more productive.  I thought maybe my "30 minutes of huffin' and puffin'" for today could be to vacuum the stairs and hallway, which desperately need it, but the queasy feeling in my stomach is just enough to keep me feeling like I need to just go back to bed.  The dreary, gray day doesn't help with motivation either.  Maybe I'll just continue to sit here and work on my long overdue White Princess post.  We shall see.

What huffin' and puffin' will you do today?

Melted - Vanilla Ice Cream Flapjacks (CFTKR)

 

Vanilla Ice Cream Flapjacks - 'The milky sweet smell of ice cream / Hot breakfast flapjacks with sweet maple syrup poured on them.'

This scent was so good!!!  The vanilla, cream, and maple made a sweet and creamy blend that wrapped around the warm flapjack notes to make such a delicious scent.  This is how I would have liked that lemon scent the other day to be, seamless and smooth.  It almost reminds me of the Vanilla Cookie Crunch scent that can be found at Walmart, but a bit smoother, creamier.  Oh my gosh, I loved this one and will put it on my list of scents to try for during the next Candles From The Keeping Room opening.

I melted this 1 oz. tart in my tea light warmer and had strong scent and throw.

I have no complaints about this one and like I said, I will be trying to get more.

(This tart was gifted to me.)

(None of my wax posts are sponsored.)

Apr. 18 - Stupid Storylines and Moving Landmarks

Sunny and 32 (feels like 24) on this Tuesday morning in Wisconsin.  Yesterday remained rather miserable all day: windy, gray, wet, cold.  Although it didn't warm up much, most of that snow we got is gone already.  Supposed to get into the low 50s today.  It does look nice with that sun out there but I don't think I'll pressure myself to get out and do more work on the flower bed today.  hehe

So yesterday at Mom's did have it's frustrations.  I don't know how to explain it without sounding horrible or going off on a long rant again (like I deleted last week), but she just doesn't 'get' it on so many things.  She gets fixated on things.  She worries too much about all the wrong things.  When I try to explain or offer suggestions she usually laughs like I'm joking.  Ugh!  So most of the time I bite my tongue, carry all the frustration home with me, and vent it all to Hubby when he gets home.  That's not really fair to him either because he's been at work all day and then comes home to hear me whine and rant.  I try not to bombard him with it immediately, sometimes try to just not even mention it, but one can only internalize things for just so long.

Got caught up on some recorded shows when I got home from Mom's yesterday.  That whole Phyllis-Jeremy-Diane storyline on The Young & The Restless is stupid and should just end.  Diane faked her death and disappeared many years ago.  She returned about a year ago and it's caused quite a ruckus around town even though she's been harmless and good, trying hard to redeem herself.  Phyllis, however, cannot accept that she's back and has become consumed by her hate and need for revenge.  Jeremy is the conman Diane had been involved with during her years away, and oh look, he's shown up in town too, fresh out of prison.  It was Diane who had landed him in prison, exposing his crimes all those years ago.  Phyllis and Jeremy end up working together to take Diane down, put her in her place.  They cook up this whole overblown scheme, faking Phyllis's death and making it appear Diane murdered her.  Phyllis and her (adult) kids had been on bad terms lately because they're sick of her obsessive hate for Diane.  It had gotten to the point where Phyllis agreed to fake her death for this, and go away.

Well, Phyllis and Jeremy pulled it off and Diane has been arrested for murder.  But now Phyllis is having second thoughts.  She had hovered in the background of her own memorial service and saw how much her kids and others still loved her, despite the troubles.  She wants to ditch this plan, tells Jeremy she will act like it was all her doing, will leave his name out of it.  He says no way, and threatens to kill her, says he'll get away with it since she's already 'dead' anyway.  There is a struggle and she ends up killing him.  Okay!  Perfect way to wrap up this stupid storyline!  She can call the cops and explain he had forced her, paid off the people involved, held her against her will, and tried to attack her.  She legit did kill him in self defense!  She has cleared her way to 'come back to life,' come back to her kids, come back to her old life.  But noooooo!  In true soap opera fashion, they continue the stupidness and the episode ended with her trying to be all sneaky and drag his body out of the motel room where they'd been hiding.  Nooooo, Phyllis!!!!!  *shakes head in frustration*

Anyway, played our wizard game when Hubby got home because it was too cold to work in his shop.  I felt really miserable again during late afternoon.  I think it might be a sinus infection, there is that tell-tale pain in my face when I bend over.  Guess we'll find out tomorrow since I have my doctor appointment and labs then.

Not much on the agenda today.  A couple little things to take care of online, and need to go out and tend all the bird feeders, but after that . . . not sure yet.  I'd kinda like to take a nap already.  LOL

Oh!  Let me tell you about the following picture . . . 

Yesterday they moved a National Historical Landmark in the town where I do my mom's shopping.  This is not my photo.  I'd actually driven by shortly after this, when the building was somewhat in its new location.  But anyway, see that building being hauled by the truck?  That is the Little White Schoolhouse, aka Birthplace of the Republican Party.  (See info HERE.)  The whole town is in an uproar now.  You see, a Boys & Girls Club is going to be built in the area this building used to be.  Apparently they wanted to buy up all the land on the block and the powers that be were like, 'Okay, no problem.'  By moving it, they had to give up their status as a National Historical Landmark, and I think that's what makes people the most mad.  Also, the new location is on the property of a credit union that has sat empty for a few years now.  Yay, glorious setting.  *sarcastic eye roll*

And that's all I have for today.

Have a good one!

Melted - Homemade Lemon Filled Biscuits (CFTKR)

Homemade Lemon Filled Biscuits - [no scent description available]

You know I love my lemon scents, so I was happy to see this in that happy mail package I received.  It's a bit of an odd scent though.  Lemon bakery scents are usually a sweet bakery type like cake or donuts.  With this being biscuits, it's a little more, I don't know . . . salty?  There is still a nice, sweet lemon note, but it seems odd with that 'salty' bakery note coming in behind it.  Actually no, the biscuit is the stronger note, and that lemon is sort of dancing in the background trying to be noticed.  It's not a bad scent, just takes some getting used to.

I melted this 1.0 oz. tart in my tea light warmer and had strong scent and throw.

Although this was an okay scent, I think I'll stick the sweeter lemon bakery types like I mentioned.

(This tart was gifted to me.)

(None of my wax posts are sponsored.)

Melted - Boardwalk Marshmallow Clounds (CFTKR)

 

 

Boardwalk Marshmallow Clouds - 'Candied whipped vanilla, marshmallow meringue, white magnolia & fluffy sandalwood.'

Apparently this is a Bath & Body Works dupe.  I'm not familiar with their scents these days so I can't compare this wax melt to how the original smells.  I did not even know the scent description before melting this.  I was surprised it wasn't more bakery-like.  Instead, it was more of a pretty scent, which was fine but just not my preferred type for home fragrance.  Now that I know sandalwood is in there I think that's the strongest note.  The white magnolia must be giving it that 'pretty' note, although it's not strong and I would not have guessed there was floral in here.  There is also just a bit of warmth and a tiny hint of creaminess from the marshmallow and vanilla.  It all blends very nicely and I can see how this would be a nice body product scent, but like I said, not my style for home fragrance.

I melted this 0.9 oz. tart in my tea light warmer and medium scent but good throw.  It was nicely subtle throughout the house, noticing it more in other rooms than around the warmer itself.

This particular tart was gifted to me and while I appreciate that, this is not a scent I would order for myself.

(None of my wax posts are sponsored.)

Watched - The White Queen

The White Queen

2013

'The White Queen is a riveting portrayal of one of the most dramatic and turbulent times in English history.  A story of love and lust, seduction and deception, betrayal and murder, it is uniquely told through the perspective of three different, yet equally relentless women - Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beaufort, and Anne Neville.  In their quest for power, they will scheme, manipulate, and seduce their way onto the English throne.

 

The year is 1464 and war over who is the rightful king has been ravaging throughout England.  It is a bitter dispute between two sides of the same family, The House of York and The House of Lancaster, and these three women are each desperately vying for the crown.'

 

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

I'm finally getting this post done.  It's been on my mind for many months now, and it's time to just get it done.  My thoughts are mainly about the show, not the book, and about the true history of those times.

 

I had read the book version of this well before this series was on Starz channel, so I was thrilled to watch it.  It was the story of the two missing princes that actually led me to my fascination with Tudor history.  This series is based on The White Queen book by Philippa Gregory, and everyone knows it is not strictly historically accurate.  I don't remember the details of the book enough to know how much of the TV series was changed, so just go into this knowing that Hollywood liberties have been taken.

 

I've seen this series multiple times over the years.  I wrote down my thoughts as I watched it most recently, and will be using those for this post.

 

This show covers about 20 years, 1464-1485.  Lancaster and York families are battling for control, Henry VI vs. Edward IV.  Elizabeth was married to John Grey, who was killed in battle before she met Edward (before the point where the story starts).

This show is much brighter and more colorful than the ones that come later, such as The White Princess and The Spanish Princess.  As more of these types of series are made, they seem to get more real in the darkness of castles, the cold inside stone buildings, less colorful decor.

 

This show also kind of confuses me.  Seems like I should understand it more, having watched it and so many other Tudor history shows since first watching it.  I know Edward IV took the crown from Henry VI and a lot of people don't agree with that but it's confusing and bizarre to me that Warwick (Edward's uncle) and George (Edward's brother) keep hatching plots against Edward.  Why?  To put George on the thrown instead?  Warwick's closest claim is by marrying his daughter to George?  Did all of this only start after Edward went public about his secret marriage to Elizabeth?  Are they (uncle and brother) just using Henry VI in name as a fake reason to for these plots?  Like, no intention of actually backing Henry but saying they will just to use the armies and support?

I'm no Tudor history expert but do know probably a fair amount more than the casual viewer of shows like this.  These earlier years are before where I know more though, so I'd have to do some reading to really understand the answers to my own questions.

Anyway, once again these people are so hooked on the game of power and suffer so much loss and hardship because of it.  Margaret Beaufort wants to raise her son herself and keeps losing custody because of her power hungry scheming.  Her son is Henry VII, who she deeply believes is the rightful heir to the throne and destined by God to be king.  If she would have just lived her life and raised her son quietly her life would have been better.  (Well, maybe.)  And to keep pounding into little boy Henry's head that he'll one day be king . . . what if he doesn't want to be?!  He's got to be seeing everything that's going on and knowing the dangers involved.  What if he's like, 'Screw that!  I want to be a simple farmer!'  So sad. It would be different if his father was already on the throne and he was raised to know he'd follow suit, but in little Henry's case they were scheming to steal the throne, in his name.  (By the way, little Henry VII is not former King Henry VI's son.)

The plotting and scheming that goes on from all sides is just crazy.  Did anyone ever simply live their life?  I always like to look at the people in the background, the peasants, the commoners, and see them smiling and laughing as they go about their business.  Like, do any of them have the enormous troubles that the so-called privileged people have?

 

So in the show, Edward has battled and withstood the schemes and attempts to overthrow him over the years.  He's had his uncle and brother executed.  His wife Elizabeth has never been accepted by his family and has known much loss in these plots and schemes and battles.  Her father and a brother were executed.  Her royal son is sent away to be raised, for safety and education.  She's developed a deep hate for Edward's family and distrusts them all, vowing revenge, and it's this anger that sticks with her throughout the rest of her life, causing continued loss and hardship.  She's determined to win at all costs just to say 'Screw you!' to those against her, even when it might not be in anyone's best interests.  And that's what frustrates and baffles me so much about the hunger for power of those times.

When King Edward IV was dying, he named his remaining brother Richard as protector of the heir, Edward V, who was not old enough yet to rule.  Elizabeth, after all her losses and suffering, could have at that point breathed a sigh of relief/defeat and taken her children away to live a quiet and peaceful life.  Or at least stepped back and let Richard do what Edward had asked of him.  But no, she immediately, secretly summoned her royal heir son back to her and raced into sanctuary.  Son Edward V was intercepted and taken into Richard's custody, and everything immediately blew up for everyone.  Even her own daughter eventually accused her of being power hungry and using her kids just to win, disregarding their own wishes and happiness.

I mean, I just don't understand the allure of it?!  All the death, loss, day to day fear, stress and pressure . . . what were the perks?  Big drafty castles, parties, nice clothes and food?  Knowing most people hated you and were using you, having your children taken from you in arranged marriages or to be raised elsewhere for protection?  I just shake my head at it all.

 

So Elizabeth's ambition is to keep the thrown and get revenge on those who came against her.  Margaret's ambition was to put her son Henry VII on the throne because she believed he was the rightful heir.  She was super devout and holy, yet schemed and manipulated to help her son's cause.  She also suffered incredible loss and hardship because of this obsession.  She could not raise her son she loved so much because he had to be kept in hiding away from her, because of his claim to the throne.  She could not be with the one man she loved because she was in an arranged marriage.  In fact, she'd originally been married off at only 12 years of age and gave birth to Henry at 13!  That husband has since died and she was brokered into another marriage like cattle at market.  She too could have made the choice to just step away and raise her child herself, a simple, happy life in the country.

(Yes, I do know that it wouldn't have been as easy as that because any sons with claims to the thrown would always be threats.  But you know what I mean.)

So then there is Anne Neville, who I haven't mentioned yet.  She is the daughter of King Edward's scheming uncle.  In her younger years she is happy and naive.  As things go from bad to worse with her father's scheming, she and her sister start to be pawns in the power game.  Her sister is married to Edward's scheming brother George in hopes of placating him.  Anne is married to the horrible son of overthrown King Henry VI.  This son had fled with his mother to France, buying time and scheming to reclaim the thrown in his father's name.  Marrying Anne was another power move.  She was only 14 years old.  Because of these events, Anne begins to turn bitter, and although she does eventually marry for love, to Edward's brother Richard, traumatic events have soured her opinions of Elizabeth in particular.  This show portrays Anne as pushing her husband Richard to do the things history suggests he did, like usurp the throne, lock two princes in the tower, etc.  She plants ideas in his head that Elizabeth is a witch and has cursed them.  She really starts to become power hungry and evil herself.  

 

Again, for what???  She had married Richard for love, not arrangement.  Her husband had been named Lord Protector until young Edward V would be old enough to rule.  They were rich and powerful already, yet it wasn't enough.  I suppose it didn't help Richard's confidence when Elizabeth immediately went against her dying husband Edward's wishes, and continued to plot against him while hiding in sanctuary.  But I guess it wouldn't be an exciting show to watch if there wasn't endless intrigue and drama, huh?

I really liked the actress who played Margaret Beaufort in this series.  I wish she could have continued to play her through all three series.  She was determined and sometimes downright mean but it was done in a sort of way that was almost humorous.  I did not like the character of Elizabeth much but I did like the actress and think she played her dislikable role very well.  Again, I wish it would have been this same actress to play Elizabeth through all three series.  I also really like the character Jacquetta (Elizabeth's mother) and the actress who played her.  I liked her personality, very practical and too the point, all the while staying upbeat.

Wow, I've written a novel here.  Sorry about that!  Thank you if you're still here.  I know it was kind of rambling but I have so much to say about this show and was never good about writing properly formatted essays.  LOL  For a while I thought The Spanish Princess was my favorite of the trio of Tudor shows, but after watching this one again recently, I think now this one is indeed my favorite.  If you haven't seen it and are at all curious about early Tudor history, or just enjoy shows from this period, absolutely check this one out!

Apr. 14 - I Did Some Yard Work

A bit cooler this morning, only 50 degrees on this Friday morning in Wisconsin.  Our critically high fire risk warning continues, and Governor Evers has now declared a state of emergency.  We hit 82 yesterday, are expected to hit 81 today, and then tomorrow we slip back to cooler temps (50s) for a while.

I was able to keep myself pretty busy yesterday.  I started decluttering and straightening up our 'craft room,' which has become a dump zone for anything and everything.  I didn't get to finish though because there is a lot of stuff in there that I don't know what to do with.  Since it's just been laying around in there, it sort of tells me we don't really need it, but at the same time it's like 'Well that could be useful . . . '  And then the thought of reducing craft supplies makes me sad.  I love all the things I have, but I just don't use them.  So I did some cleaning out of obvious things and left the rest for another day, after some thought about what to do with it all.

I got outside in the afternoon and actually started working on that flower bed I keep mentioning!  I'm starting small again, like I did last year.  Instead of thinking I need to get the whole thing done, I set a 30 minute timer and whatever I got done in that time was an accomplishment.  Last year when I started forcing myself to get outside and do some yard work, I would just set a 10 minute timer, just to get myself in a habit of getting out there.  It worked, and I often kept going over the 10 minutes.  The 30 minutes I set it for yesterday might have been too much.  I felt so done for the day by about 20 minutes.  I'll probably just set it for 15 or 20 today.

One of the problems was that my arm isn't quite as ready as I thought it was.  In general throughout the day, my arm seems fine.  There are just a few positions or little things I still have to be careful with, and I still can't fully straighten it.  But yesterday, kneeling on the ground to do this yard work, I found I couldn't support myself on my left arm (the injured one) while doing work with my right.  And I could only get a few squeezes with the clippers with my left hand before my arm wanted to just give out.  Plus, my knees absolutely scream and don't cooperate when I try to get down or up for kneeling on the ground.  So I ended up having to stay on my feet, lean over, and do most of the work with my right hand.  And then when I'd stand up for a breather I would have the head-rush.  Not at all ideal, but I did get the work done.

 

This is what I was starting with.  I wasn't kidding when I said it's been neglected for years now.  It doesn't looks as bad this early in the year because everything from previous years is dried and bent over, but it's thickly matted all along this side of the house.  The small area closest to the camera is all I'd managed to clean up last fall.  That's where the two tulips (I think) have totally surprised me by showing up this year.

And this is how far I got in 30 minutes yesterday.  Even found a third tulip struggling under the overgrowth.  There is only one leaf on that one so I don't know if it will grow into anything this year, but still a surprise to see it there at all.  I've wanted to pull up the timbers and get rid of this flower bed for years now.  It was a good idea in our younger years but we never did tend it like it needs to be, and now it's too had to get down on the ground and do the work.  I'd like to pull up the timbers, level the area, and just put some big pots of flowers out there, or just some decorations.  Hubby doesn't want to though, even though he doesn't help tend the area anymore and is not the one who has to mow around it either.  (I mow this side of the property, he mows the other side, where his shop is.)

 

And these are the flowers that are already blooming, determined despite the overgrowth and neglect.  The yellow ones can be seen on the right, the white ones are a little harder to see on the left.  I think they're all daffodils.  Seems weird to think of watering them after all the rain and melting snow we had in recent weeks, but yeah, the fire warning says our conditions are so dry because of the low humidity and winds.  I guess I'll get the hose hooked up and give them a drink today.

I really don't like doing this yard work.  Once I get myself to do it though, I do feel accomplished, feel better about things than just sitting inside and doing jigsaw puzzles.  I'm trying to look at it as my whole 'leaving court to live quietly in the country' thing.  You know, get away from social media and technology, get back to simpler times.  So yes, as long as I can get myself to do the work I don't like doing at this point, maybe the rewards will help turn my dislike around.  I even heard an interesting thing on the radio recently, talking about how people are rediscovering simple things like gardening, playing board games, sitting on the porch . . . all the pre-technology things we older folks used to do normally.  Younger people, the report said, are 'discovering' these things and thinking they're brilliant in starting new trends.  I have to chuckle at that.  Maybe them 'discovering' these things is helping the trend back to it, but like I said, we were all doing this before you were born, kids.

And now I just realized I sort of frowned upon just sitting around doing jigsaw puzzles when I feel I need to be outside, when really, it's one of the perfectly acceptable simple life activities I'm happy to get back to.  After yard work is done . . . LOL

On that note, I will get this posted and see what simple life things I need to get done this morning.

Are you old enough to crave the pre-tech ways of life?  Or do you happily embrace the ways of tech-everything living?

Apr. 13 - A Freakin' Addiction

Sunny and 57 degrees on this Thursday morning in Wisconsin.  That Red Flag Warning (dangerously high fire risk) continues today but thankfully the winds have died down.  We hit 83 degrees yesterday!  That's a bit too warm, too soon for me but at least there was no humidity with it.  The winds though!  Yikes!

I wasn't going to post today but here I am.  Blogging is like a freakin' addiction for me.  I just can't seem to quit, even though I can rattle off a whole list of reasons why I want to.  Yesterday's drama that no one saw solidified the idea in my mind . . . but here I am.

My name is Deb and I'm a blogger.

What I'd written and deleted yesterday was, in short, a rant/vent session about the frustrations of being an elderly caregiver.  I know I don't have it as hard as others since my mom is still quite self sufficient but it still takes a toll.  And my mom can be so dang difficult!  Hubby's dad struggles a bit more but at least he's more in touch with the times.  And I'll just leave it at that because this is already turning into a rant of frustration again.

Moving on!

Hubby decided he wanted to start walking after work.  I think seeing the health struggles of those around him has finally scared him into taking his own health more seriously.  I'd like to walk more too, both to lose weight and to help with blood sugar.  Since its been so nice the past couple days, we've gone for a short little walk as soon as he's gotten home from work.  We're starting out small, just down to the little creek off our property and back.  Baby steps, ya know.  Once we get used to longer distances, get some endurance built up, I'd like to try going to a walking/biking trail not far from us.  I haven't mentioned that to him yet.  hehe

 

We've sold a few things in our Etsy shop recently.  I haven't been putting any effort into anything Achy Joints Creations related for some time now because we've decided to extend our break.  But one day last week, out of nowhere, one of our bird feeders sold.  Then on Tuesday another one sold, and yesterday there were two orders for soap.  Well, okay!  Packing those items up sparked something in me, suggesting that maybe I'm not quite ready to completely give up on it all.  I don't plan on making soap regularly but the paper craft urge is hitting again.  We still have quite a few wood items that Hubby's made too.  He's not ready to start making more things yet but he's glad it's finally warm enough to be out in the shop.  He wants to completely rearrange it, get it more functional, get it finished.  We also have to start milling the piles of logs we have all over on that side of the property.  He says he might not come back to production mode until he retires but will make things for fun now and then.

Now that it's warmer I'm also really wanting to get on all the decluttering projects that keep nagging the back of my brain.  It's nice enough now to haul things to the burn pile or make trips to town to donate stuff.  The local village rummage sales are coming up in May, so I've been thinking about setting up our canopy and tables in our yard, see if we can sell some our craft stuff, see if I can destash some of my craft supplies that I'll probably never use.  I think about this every year, then think about it too long and suddenly the day of the event is here and I'm not prepared.

I've been outside already this morning.  Some of the feeders had gotten blown around so much yesterday and were empty.  The birds were acting all leery, like 'That feeder should be over there.'  LOL So I went out early to fix and fill them all.  The birds are being picky about sunflowers now.  Picky, or lazy.  I had been buying the 'no waste' blend of seed for a while, with the sunflower seeds out of the shells.  Now the birds can't be bothered with regular still-in-the-shell sunflower seeds.  I've also had to start filling the bird bath now that there is now melted snow in it each week.  Mr. Pigeon has been returning now too.  It still cracks me up because in the 20+ years we've lived here I've never seen the pigeons come to this side of the yard or use the bird bath.

I spotted some flowers blooming in our overgrown south flower beds this morning.  Some are yellow, some are white, but I think they're both daffodils.  And on the one end of the bed I did clean up last fall, there are two large tulips, not the flowers yet, but nice big healthy looking leaves.  Haven't seen those in that bed in years, so it's pretty exciting and makes me more determined to get the rest of the bed cleaned up so we can see what else might have survived.

Well look at that.  For someone determined to quit blogging I sure have written enough.  Doh!  The cat's gone back to sleep now so I'm going to play one of my games for a bit before I go get busy on something.  When I was busy before writing this, he woke up and was getting into everything because our routine was all messed up.  We are both creatures of habit, that's for sure!

Okay, get this posted before I natter on and on and on . . .

Apr. 12 - A Post Not Worth Posting

 

Sunny and 64 degrees already on this Wednesday morning in Wisconsin.  We're supposed to hit the low 80s today!  It's going to be windy though.  There is actually a Red Flag Warning all day, which means fire risk is dangerously high.  Seems weird to think about, considering all that rain we had not long ago, but yeah, the winds we keep having are drying everything out.

So, I had a post written out but I've deleted it because it was sounding like a horrible, angry, whiny rant when it wasn't intended to be.  When I tried to start over I decided it's one of those days when it's better to just say nothing.

I guess I'll just say 'Have a good day!' and be done with it.

Wax Haul - Candles From The Keeping Room, Pt. 2

 

In part one of this post, I talked about the very generous happy mail package an old bloggy friend had sent me, featuring a lot of wax from popular indie vendor Candles From The Keeping Room.  In part two of this post I will go through what I got in my own order.

So, like I said in the previous post, CFTKR has been around for a long time and has long been difficult to order from.  My bloggy friend told me the best way to get information about upcoming openings is to join the CFTKR Facebook group, so I did, and found there was actually an opening coming up.  I got very excited about the idea of placing an order and getting that big ol' bag of samples the owner is known for giving.  That part is almost more fun than the order itself, seeing what you got like opening a present!

Opening day was scheduled for early morning on March 25.  Well, crap.  That fell during my weekly grocery shopping time.  I know, I know, just order then go, or go shopping a different day.  I'm a creature of habit though, I think you all know that by now.  Plus, I was having second thoughts about ordering, the money that didn't need to be spent on wax.  You know, thinking responsible and all that adult stuff.

Turns out we had one last snowstorm that Saturday morning, which kept me from going shopping.  I decided to hop onto the site and just see if I could get an order placed with my slow rural internet.  I was under the impression it was like a madhouse, like in the old days where you had to be on that site the second it opened and know exactly what you want, and have the fastest internet to complete the checkout in time.  It wasn't quite that bad.  LOL  There were some things that were no longer available when I tried to add them to my cart, and I didn't dare take time to go look up scent descriptions, but I did get four bags and checked out quick.  Woohoo!

Like in my previous post, I won't show pics of each melt and I might not be able to find all scent descriptions on the site.  I will do more detailed reviews in my Melted posts as I melt each scent.  For now though, let me tell you what I got . . . 

The bags actually come tied shut with a strip of homespun fabric, giving a rustic, country feel to it all, but I had already removed them and switched to simple twist-ties before I knew I'd be doing this post.  I also thought I'd get more samples than this, but six is still pretty darn generous.

First are the four bags I ordered, and then the samples I received.

- Blackberry Jam Butter Cookie - 'Like two sweet butter cookies, sandwiched with a sweet blackberry jam . . . a bold fruited cookie aroma.'  (I will just say here that I am obsessed with this scent.)

- Blue Hawaiian - 'Begins with mouth-watering top notes of juicy orange, lemon, and maraschino cherries; followed by tangy pineapple, acai berry, and sea spray; well rounded with base notes of sweet coconut, vanilla rum, and fresh ozonic notes.'

- Orange Juice Cake - 'This sunny smelling cake starts with a mix of yummy fresh cake with just a hint of OJ and ends with a sweet sugary glaze.'

- Twisted Peppermint - 'Merry and bright peppermint celebrates the season with vanilla & sugary musk.'

- Pumpkin Spiced Cheesecake - [no scent description]

- Rustic Lodge -  'Notes of fresh, fruity green apple, honey, cinnamon bark, nuts, creamy caramel, maple sugar, cider spice, and warm French vanilla.'

- Lingonberry Wreath - 'Lingonberries are to Scandinavians what blackberries are to Americans. This lingonberry wreath scent celebrates this fruit with notes of red cranberries, juicy peach, grapefruit zest, apple slices, violet blossoms, and creamy vanilla.'

- Orange Clove - 'Wonderful aroma of fresh orange slices with hints of nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove.'

- Butterscotch Gingerbread - [no scent description]

- Country Gift Shop - 'When you walk in to a gift shop . . . the potpourri, all the different aromas.'

Nice!  It's no coincidence those samples are fall scents.  During the checkout process there is a 'Would you like a sample?' option that you can click and also write in any note, like what you might prefer.  I wrote 'Anything fall or bakery, please.'  LOL  Gotta have my fall scents!

Just like in my previous post, the fall and Christmas scents will be set aside for later in the year.  If there are any scents I'm not fond of, I will set those aside too and might be doing a small giveaway.  I'm just darn happy to have been able to place an order for myself!

I saw in the Facebook group that the CFTKR owner is thinking about a small opening, possibly in June, and then a large opening for fall.  That might be her last opening.  There has been talk of retirement for years now, and this might finally be the year.  I've been hoping she sells her business to someone, to keep her awesome wax available to us wax junkies.  Other indie vendors have done that, taught someone all their tips and tricks, taught them the business and then handed it over to keep it going.  I guess time will tell.

But anyway, that is my own order from Candles From The Keeping Room.  See anything in there that you like?  What is your favorite type of scent?

Wax Haul - Candles From The Keeping Room, Pt. 1

 

Back around Christmas I'd reconnected with an old bloggy friend and she sent me a generous package featuring a good amount of wax from indie vendor Candles From The Keeping Room.  This vendor has been around for many years and was super popular back in the busiest days of my original blog.  I'd ordered a couple times back then but the owner switched to a different, way more complicated ordering process and I gave up trying after that.  Years go by and there were mentions of this vendor retiring soon, so everyone was flooding her openings in case it was the last one.  So again, I never bothered trying to order.

 

Well, reconnecting with this bloggy friend and receiving the gift of some CFTKR wax really got me thinking about how so many of the reliable old indie vendors are gone now, and how that made me really want more CFTKR while she was still around.  One thing that vendor is known for is her very generous samples with each order.  It's almost more fun than the order itself, seeing what you'll all get in the infamous bag of samples.  My bloggy friend said the best way to get info about upcoming openings is to join the vendor's Facebook group, so I did.  And found there was an opening coming up soon!  BloggyFriend said I should just let her know what I wanted and she would add it to her order because she's become good enough friends with the vendor that she does her order privately through messages.  I was like thanks, but I want that bag of samples.  LOL  In the end, she said to pick a couple scents I'd like and she'd get them for me as a gift.  I declined at first but then went ahead with this offer just in case I couldn't place my own order fast enough on the day the vendor opened.

 

BloggyFriend absolutely spoiled me once again!

 

Not only did she get the scents I'd picked, but she loaded me up with tons of extras from samples and sharing from her own.  There were also other goodies in the package, like sugar scrub samples, tea, and other things.  I always feel awkward in these situations, like it's too much, and said I'd figure out a way to thank her in return.  She insisted no, that is was a gift.  Even Hubby scolded me and said, "Accept it for the gift it is."  Do you ever feel awkward that way?

 

Anyway, I'm not going to post pics of each one she sent or we'd be here for days.  I will do my individual Melted posts with in depth scent reviews as I melt each one.  I'm not sure I'll even be able to find each scent description on the CFTKR site but I'll do my best.  Let's goooo!

- Butterscotch Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (full bag, my choice) - [no scent description]

- Sweet Lemon Pound Cake (full bag, my choice) -  'Fresh lemons baked into a light, fluffy cake with vanilla extract, rum, and tonka bean topped with a powdered sugar glaze.'

- Spiced Scones (full bag, my choice) -  'Delicious aromatic scent of freshly baked scones with juicy raisins, hints of banana, golden fig intricately blended with rich, sweet honey, brown sugar and cinnamon.'

- Bear Claws -  'The scent of fresh baked Bear claws made with a sweet yeast dough filled with dates, raisins and nuts.'

- Apple Harvest Festival - 'Notes of sweet slow-cooked spiced apples with mulled berries and citrus rind provide a bright top note leading to a warm blend of star anise, cinnamon sticks, and clove for middle notes, and a succulent caramelized brown sugar rounding out the base.'

- Woodland Berries - 'A tangy combination of red currant, strawberry, and cranberry is balanced with a fresh green accord and finished with vanilla spice.'

- Christmas Cabin 'A wonderful blend of bayberries and cranberries with a top note of freshly crushed cinnamon bark with hints of orange zests.'

- Boardwalk Marshmallow Clouds - [no scent description]

- Apple Jack & Peel - 'Notes of grapefruit, orange rind, apples and spices.'

- Lemon Curd & English Scones - 'The delightful English lemon curd which is like a strong lemon custard, topped over our infamous scones.'

- Homemade Lemon Filled Biscuits - [no scent description] Raspberry Custard Tart '

- Prosecco Pear - [no scent description]

- Apple Clove Butter - 'This is a mouthwatering blend of apples, clove and warm spices.'

- Vanilla Ice Cream Flapjacks -  [no scent description]

- Cinnamon Buns - [no scent description]

- Ice Cream Filled Waffle Cone - 'A sweet candy coated waffle cone filled with yummy vanilla ice cream.' 

- Apple Grove - 'Our apple grove fragrance is a perfect combination of Cameo, McIntosh, Red Delicious, Fuji, and Granny Smith apples.' 

- Solar Sands - [no scent description]

- Lemon Ice Cream Pie - 'Our sweet bakery lemon mixed with our yummy vanilla ice cream..a sweet treat.'

 - Cranberry Jam - [no scent description]

 - Frozen Margarita - 'Top notes of essential oil of lime and Mandarin orange; including notes of southern Valencia, lemon, and sea salt; followed by middle notes of frothy iced guava nectar, strawberries, and pineapple; all sitting on base notes of brown sugar, vanilla rum, and musk.'

- Cookies & Egg Nog - [no scent description]

- Rosemary Mint/Marshmallow Smoothie/North Pole (I think this is from Rosegirls, not CFTKR) - [no scent description]

Wow!  Quite the variety, huh?  BloggyFriend knows I love fall scents, lemon scents, bakery scents in general.  Her scent preferences are very different than mine so giving up bakery scents is probably not difficult for her.  lol  I will be setting the fall and Christmas scents aside for later.  I think there are few scents in here that I don't care for, and those will also be set aside because I'm thinking of doing a small giveaway.  I have to see if there are enough to be worth it first.

So that is my very generous happy mail from an old bloggy friend who still appreciates the scented wax game like I do.  I'm pretty sure she doesn't read here but I'll say it anyway . . .  Thank you so much!!!

Did you see any scents that sound great to you?  Have you ordered wax from indie vendors?

Stay tuned for part two of this post, which includes my own order that I did indeed manage to place.

Apr. 11 - Warm Weather & Back To Mom's

A gorgeous Tuesday morning here in Wisconsin, already 55 degrees!  They say we'll hit 75 today, and into the 80s tomorrow.  Slow your roll a bit, Miss Spring.  The 60s and 70s are lovely but 80s this early is a bit too much.  Careful what you wish for, right?  With all that 'Go away, winter!' wishing we were all doing not so long ago . . . 

 

It was a pleasant enough Monday at Mom's again this week.  Did her shopping and laundry, helped with a couple other things, and we played Yahtzee.  Got my Easter things packed up and put away when I got back home.  Filled all the bird feeders too.  I was about wiped out by then.  I just don't seem to have stamina or endurance anymore since my whole hospital adventure a year and a half ago.  Is it covid related?  Is it diabetes related?  Is it age related?  Or is just fat old lady who doesn't do as much since she quit working related?

 

I have to go back to my mom's today because she has a doctor's appointment, just the yearly wellness check.  It's later in the day than I like appointments to be though, at 12:40pm.  I don't know how we ended up with such an odd time.  I'm usually pretty firm on early morning options.  In the middle of the day like that feels like it throws the whole day off.  Like you don't want to get involved in anything before because you know you have to leave, and then feels like too late in the day to get involved in anything after.  That's just me, I know.  There are plenty of people who are go go go and don't mind such things.  I'm just such a homebody and creature of habit though.  But whatever, it's one day and I had nothing else planned anyway.

 

I'm hoping to get two big wax related posts up after this.  Since the cat is sleeping nicely and I mentioned I don't like to get involved in anything before I have to leave, I'll spend my morning working on those posts.  One is a happy mail package, and one is an order I placed recently.  Both boxes have been sitting here for a while now because I wasn't sure if I was even going to post about them.  I'd been going through my latest bout of 'Should I keep blogging?' at the time.  Plus, wax posts get the lowest amount of views.  Well that, and the idea of taking pics of all those wax melts was absolutely overwhelming.  I finally did it a few days ago though, and figured I'd go ahead and post, have a record for myself if nothing else.

Soooo, I will get to work on those posts and then see what little things I can maybe get done before heading back to my mom's.

Do you have a preferred time of day for appointments?  Or are you mellow enough to take whatever they offer?