Family one

So today was to be my first day without Jake. This morning I woke up early and laid in bed for a while. After having some breakfast, oatmeal, I got dressed and ready to go to church. I decided to ride with Tiana my older sister instead of the rest of my famiy. Mistake. After my family already left Tiana realized that she had left her car keys in her boyfriends car last night. I figured we were going to miss church all together because her bf doesn't live all that close. So I texted Jake saying that I was most likely going to miss church. His reply, "that sucks. I drove to your parents church this morning to surprise you and see you" my reaction was like a frantic love sick teenage girl! I HAD to get to that church now and see my wonderful man! We eventually mad it there 45min late. It was wonderful seeing Jake. I wasn't expecting that at all. He's so sweet! After church we went out for a looong lunch before he had to head back home :) saying goodbye today was a million times easier for some reason. Maybe because I knew I got some extra unplanned time with him and I was just thankful for that. Later in the day I bought a large iced black tea, and it was exactly what I needed. When I got back to my parents house I cleaned the downstairs bathroom and the kitchen. I guess I felt the need to pull some of my own weight around here. Now I'm waiting in bed for Jake to play Blokus with me (we both downloaded this game on our phones yesterday so that we can play a game with each other every night and feel less seperated) and then I'll go to bed :)

Sad night poem

I thought you whispered in my ear
but it was just a passing memory
for you are not here
not here in bed with me

I thought you'd walk around the door frame soon
but you're in a different bed
for you drove away today with me in the rearview mirror
with tears in my eyes, holding my own hand

there is nothing quite like this. There are endless solutions. But we chose the path with no rhyme or reason. I love you babes.

repost

so I posted this today while updating my iphone at Peet's... but it put it as posted on May 9th (probably that's when I started writing it, saved it as a draft and finished it today). I never knew until today that when you finish a draft that it doesn't post it in order of the posted date, but of the date that you started it. So here it is again, but so that you know it exists...


So recently (last weekend to be precise) Jake and I went to Los Angeles. We went to watch our good friends Jeremy and his fiancee Becky graduate from college. Jeremy had proposed to Becky the weekend before we came down! But since we were going down there we also visited with one of Jakes ex-coworkers/friends, and the family that I used to take care of (caregiver and nanny)! It was overall such a fantastic trip. The drive was nice. I had prepared myself with lots of magazines. Unfortunately we had to stop several times for me to go to the bathroom (as is normal!). Once we got into LA we drove straight to Westwood, the little town where the UCLA campus is located, and where the Starbucks that we both worked at is :) We parked in the same garage that we used to always park in, and went to our old Starbucks. Talk about weird! It was so familiar being in the area, and I saw at least 6 regulars that I still know the drinks of! But I didn't recognize a single employee! The turnover at that store is so high because its a college town. So it doesn't really surprise me that i didn't know any of them. Even when I worked there we were always getting new people and saying goodbye to our partners before the Summer season each year. Lame. There are a few people that I know are still working there, but they work the night crew, and it was too early for anyone on night crew to be at work. Oh well. At Starbucks Jake and I looked up hotels, talk about leaving the details until last minute! We found one in Santa Monica that looked pretty decent, and it was one of the cheaper ones, at just a little over $100 a night! Whew! Then we walked up to the campus to pick up Jakes diploma, he couldn't get it before we moved, and he never got it mailed to him! It was so weird, we went up to the counter where you get them and he showed his ID and told the lady his old student ID number and she literally just turned around and picked it up off the shelve behind her! As if we had called ahead and let them know we were coming or something. It was so weird! I can't believe that almost 2 years later and they just had it right there waiting for us. Plus we picked up Jake a new hat and sweatshirt. And a really nice frame for his diploma. Plus of course some postcards for the fam bam. Then we went and signed into our room, showered, and got dressed for the rest of the day. We went out for "happy hour" with one of Jake's ex-coworkers/friends at a nifty bar/sushi house in Santa Monica. Originally we were just there for drinks and were going out for dinner with the family I used to take care of. But we didn't really give ourselves enough time for the first one. So I called and pushed our plans back an hour and the elderly man said he didn't think going out was such a stellar idea anyways. So we agreed to just come over for a visit and eat before we came. I had a Kama Sutra/Forbidden City drink :) Well I had 2. And they were so yummy! My favorite food that we had there was the crab wontons. Delish! Next we arrived at the families house that I use to take care of. And as I was giving hugs to everyone two wonderful things surprised me, 1. how much the 9yr old grew since I saw her last! She was about chest level on me before, and now she is taller than me! And 2. The old lady that I used to take care of came around the corner and couldn't be more pleased to see Jake and I. Mostly me. Which to be honest really shocked me, in a good way. You see, caring for her was quite a job. She has had 3 strokes, cannot move half her body, and cannot talk anymore. But she is still able to understand what is going on around her. She gets really frustrated that we can't understand what she wants all the time. And she is really stubborn and opinionated. When I was working for them I would sometimes come by to say hi on my days off and she would be confused and sometimes upset that I was there on my day off. I was kind of expecting the same reaction for our visit. So I was thrilled when she was so happy to see me. And she was a peach all night too! She was laughing along with the jokes and smiling and patting her husbands arm and in general participating in the conversations with "yes" "no" (but not always meaning what she was saying, thats just all she can say (and "why")). We did end up going out for Chinese food for a second dinner. But that was ok with Jake and I because we didn't eat that much already. The night was wonderful. We cried when we said goodbye. Thus the end of the first night in LA. The next day we had the graduation for Jeremy and Becky. We arrived an hour early! So we found a Starbucks and sat there drinking coffee and either reading magazines or playing games on our phones. The graduation was nice, but there was a lot of just standing around afterwards while everyone else said hellos and took photos. We eventually all met up at Home Town Buffet and had lunch. Then we went out for a movie and dinner at Chick A Fila (is that how it's spelled?). I had never been there before. But it was pretty good. The weather both days was PERFECT btw. The next morning we went out for breakfast at a cafe named Marmalade and it was sooooo good! It was a cute little place. Mostly I just feasted on coffee toast and marmalade! Then we went to our old church and saw everyone we used to see! And last but not least we had lunch at an old friends house. Then we headed back home. I know this post should have some photos, but they are not on this sign on, and I really want to get this post posted... Also, one last thing that really stood out to me was how amazingly perfect my hair was the whole weekend. It was the first time in a long time that I have worn in down for 3 days straight! It was nice. I (and Jake) would love to move back to So. Cal. someday :)

edited to add

Right now I am in the process of editing my book and getting it ready to be reprinted. I am hoping to get a lot of this done on the 11 hour drive up to Idaho next week. However I will be traveling with 7-9 other people (all in the same car) I am not setting my expectations too high.

The pros of this trip:
1. I get to spend a lot of time with my family
2. I get to see my wonderful grandparents
3. I get to see my little sister at such a wonderful time in her life
4. I get to go to Idaho!
5. I have lots of gifts for everyone, and I love giving gifts
6. It will test my patience up and down, hopefully I will pass with flying colors

The cons of this trip:
1. I am not used to spending 24/7 around lots of people anymore
2. I will be without Jake for a whole week
3. I will be without Jake for a whole week
4. I will be without Jake for a whole week
5. There is a really long drive involved, and I have to pee all the time
6. I will not be able to sleep in my own bed for 7 nights
7. I will be without all the comforts of my house
8. I will be missing my little sister in laws birthday and party :(
9. I will not have my own car to getaway in
10. It will test my patience up and down, and I'm not looking forward to that

Ok so I know it looks like the cons outweigh the pros, but there is more worth to the pro reasons than most of the con reasons. Like getting to see my grandparents! I never get to see them, and I love them dearly! I am having a lot of anxiety about being apart from Jake for that long. I almost don't want to go for that reason. It is really breaking my heart. I know a lot of couples spend time apart, but Jake and I don't really do that. We go out of our way to not spend the night apart. I have and will be going with him for both of his work conferences this year. We spent 6 days at his parents so that I could be with him last week. I was so uncomfortable on that air mattress, but I was with him every night. We even went out for coffee one morning :) Jake is my best friend and I can really be myself around him. I can let go and just be. I will really miss that for the next week starting on Sat. It will be so sad driving into to Sacramento together and watching him drive away without me. Ok ok ok, enough. I am sure you get what I am saying. Its just that this is so huge for me. And I am feeling more anxious as the days fly by and it gets closer. I pray the week apart will go by well, and that I won't dwell on the bad. For this trip, and for my intelligence in general, I got out my electronic version of scrabble and have been playing that today. I used to be a pretty good speller, but through the years I feel like I've lost my touch. So I thought playing it might help keep me sharp :)

Thanks to Shelly, I have reopened my Tumblr account and added a ton of users to my "following" list. I am loving it! I have an obsession with looking at photos, so tumblr is perfect! I haven't posted anything myself because I already have a blog, and need to focus on that. I am trying to refocus my energy in general lately. I picked out two new books. I plan on reading more books again. I was really into reading last year. I picked one love story and one sad story (but inspiring). I also found two wonderful cards today that I plan on sending out soon to some friends or family. I reorganized my lush stuff (again), and its all in one area now. I bought a large flat basket while staying in SF for really cheap (its actually a picnic food cover to keep flies off your food, but when turned upside down it looks like a basket!) and dumped/placed all my lush items in it and it fits PERFECTLY underneath my bed :) For now I really like it. But knowing me, I will not be satisfied for much too long :)

"When my world is shaking, Heaven stands.
When my heart is breaking, I never leave your hand."

I feel so frail today

MIA

that is what I have been...

If it means anything, I'm sorry...

Sometimes other things are more important then blogging...

The City Of Angels

So recently (last weekend to be precise) Jake and I went to Los Angeles. We went to watch our good friends Jeremy and his fiancee Becky graduate from college. Jeremy had proposed to Becky the weekend before we came down! But since we were going down there we also visited with one of Jakes ex-coworkers/friends, and the family that I used to take care of (caregiver and nanny)! It was overall such a fantastic trip. The drive was nice. I had prepared myself with lots of magazines. Unfortunately we had to stop several times for me to go to the bathroom (as is normal!). Once we got into LA we drove straight to Westwood, the little town where the UCLA campus is located, and where the Starbucks that we both worked at is :) We parked in the same garage that we used to always park in, and went to our old Starbucks. Talk about weird! It was so familiar being in the area, and I saw at least 6 regulars that I still know the drinks of! But I didn't recognize a single employee! The turnover at that store is so high because its a college town. So it doesn't really surprise me that i didn't know any of them. Even when I worked there we were always getting new people and saying goodbye to our partners before the Summer season each year. Lame. There are a few people that I know are still working there, but they work the night crew, and it was too early for anyone on night crew to be at work. Oh well. At Starbucks Jake and I looked up hotels, talk about leaving the details until last minute! We found one in Santa Monica that looked pretty decent, and it was one of the cheaper ones, at just a little over $100 a night! Whew! Then we walked up to the campus to pick up Jakes diploma, he couldn't get it before we moved, and he never got it mailed to him! It was so weird, we went up to the counter where you get them and he showed his ID and told the lady his old student ID number and she literally just turned around and picked it up off the shelve behind her! As if we had called ahead and let them know we were coming or something. It was so weird! I can't believe that almost 2 years later and they just had it right there waiting for us. Plus we picked up Jake a new hat and sweatshirt. And a really nice frame for his diploma. Plus of course some postcards for the fam bam. Then we went and signed into our room, showered, and got dressed for the rest of the day. We went out for "happy hour" with one of Jake's ex-coworkers/friends at a nifty bar/sushi house in Santa Monica. Originally we were just there for drinks and were going out for dinner with the family I used to take care of. But we didn't really give ourselves enough time for the first one. So I called and pushed our plans back an hour and the elderly man said he didn't think going out was such a stellar idea anyways. So we agreed to just come over for a visit and eat before we came. I had a Kama Sutra/Forbidden City drink :) Well I had 2. And they were so yummy! My favorite food that we had there was the crab wontons. Delish! Next we arrived at the families house that I use to take care of. And as I was giving hugs to everyone two wonderful things surprised me, 1. how much the 9yr old grew since I saw her last! She was about chest level on me before, and now she is taller than me! And 2. The old lady that I used to take care of came around the corner and couldn't be more pleased to see Jake and I. Mostly me. Which to be honest really shocked me, in a good way. You see, caring for her was quite a job. She has had 3 strokes, cannot move half her body, and cannot talk anymore. But she is still able to understand what is going on around her. She gets really frustrated that we can't understand what she wants all the time. And she is really stubborn and opinionated. When I was working for them I would sometimes come by to say hi on my days off and she would be confused and sometimes upset that I was there on my day off. I was kind of expecting the same reaction for our visit. So I was thrilled when she was so happy to see me. And she was a peach all night too! She was laughing along with the jokes and smiling and patting her husbands arm and in general participating in the conversations with "yes" "no" (but not always meaning what she was saying, thats just all she can say (and "why")). We did end up going out for Chinese food for a second dinner. But that was ok with Jake and I because we didn't eat that much already. The night was wonderful. We cried when we said goodbye. Thus the end of the first night in LA. The next day we had the graduation for Jeremy and Becky. We arrived an hour early! So we found a Starbucks and sat there drinking coffee and either reading magazines or playing games on our phones. The graduation was nice, but there was a lot of just standing around afterwards while everyone else said hellos and took photos. We eventually all met up at Home Town Buffet and had lunch. Then we went out for a movie and dinner at Chick A Fila (is that how it's spelled?). I had never been there before. But it was pretty good. The weather both days was PERFECT btw. The next morning we went out for breakfast at a cafe named Marmalade and it was sooooo good! It was a cute little place. Mostly I just feasted on coffee toast and marmalade! Then we went to our old church and saw everyone we used to see! And last but not least we had lunch at an old friends house. Then we headed back home. I know this post should have some photos, but they are not on this sign on, and I really want to get this post posted... Also, one last thing that really stood out to me was how amazingly perfect my hair was the whole weekend. It was the first time in a long time that I have worn in down for 3 days straight! It was nice. I (and Jake) would love to move back to So. Cal. someday :)

hope

Hope is a wonderful feeling.
But it's also deceiving.
Holding onto hope can give you something to look forward to.
It can comfort you.
It can help your thoughts to be positive.
It can set you up for great disappointment.
It can make you blind to the truth.
Hope can take you further into a mess then you ever thought you would go.
Hope can take you through the worst of times.
Hope can renew your outlook.
Hope can make you stubborn.
It can turn a dark room into an open field of flowers.
It sometimes breaks my heart the hope that I see in people.
Because I know its not going to end the way they want it to.
Sometimes a tear and a hard acceptance is better then a white lie and false hope.
Hope is still a wonderful feeling.

toooooooo much Lush

lately I have gone crazy at Lush. I have so much new stuff I need to stop going. The next time I feel the urge to go out there I am gong to just pamper myself with some of the stuff I already have. Because I feel like I have my own mini store going on in my bathroom. For reals. I need an intervention. So I am cutting myself off fo a little while. We'll see how long it lasts! I tried several times to make a vlog... so much easier for lush hauls. But my internet is soooo slow and wacky that it kept screwing up. So alas I will write a blog for my lush haul :) At least this way I don't have to spend 3 hours uploading it per video, and believe me, there would've been like 3 of them! So that is entirely too long to sit on the computer for a lush haul. I even tried doing the direct upload where it always cuts off the end but I don't have to wait so long for it to upload... but it's not working either. Anyways. I have to say though, my little sister in law Elisabeth just finished her 2nd lush haul/review vlog. And she is a sweetheart! I cannot get enough of her and talking about lush products! I bought her a bath bomb the last time I went to lush just so that she would make her 2nd review. Of course I got her some soaps and a face mask too (and her sister)... because I cannot resist giving them lush stuff :) My mother in law and grandmother in law are both getting gift baskets on Sat for Mothers Day that I put together, mostly of lush and See's candy. Delish. So onto this lush haul that I keep mentioning... I had all my stuff out on my whole bed all unwrapped and open for the vlogs and then I had to put it all away. Lame. I made a list of all the new things that I have gotten in my last several visits so that I could write about them... there were a little more then 3 pages on my note book, of just the names, not even a description. Whoa.

First of all, these are in no order at all because I don't really have them put away in an order yet, and I was just writing things down as I grabbed them to put them away.

The first thing I have is the Ma Bar Bubble Bar This one has a sweet warm smell. Like the HIWTK it smells like toffee and chocolate and caramel. Its so cute too with the sugar cube on top. (I have mentioned this before, but as a reminder, I shave/crush all my bubble bars to get the most use out of them, but also because it makes smaller silkier bubbles)

Then I got a Candy Fluff bath bomb This is from their Easter line, so I got this a little while ago. It smells really sugary. Like cotton candy, or rock candy. And its shaped like an easter egg!

Next up I got a slice of Sweetie Pie Shower Jelly Mine is actually a little bit darker purple. This is a super sweet smelling product again. But this one is so fun! Its just like jello! It wiggles and it doesn't fall apart when you shake it :) This one smells like sweet sweet berries. If you like The Comforter Bubble Bar (which I also picked up recently, and got 8 baths from! Well I haven't used all of them yet, but I crumbled and bagged them all) then you will like this one. To me they smell just like eachother!

I got a few face mask samples. I really like the Oatifix, which I bought a pot of recently. But its really really moisturizing and I wanted to try something a little less moisturizing. The first one I got is The Sacred Truth face mask This one is made with ginko leaf extract, fresh papaya, fresh eggs, honey, yogurt, shea butter, evening primrose, coconut oil, ginseng root extract (antioxidant), rosewood oil, and wheatgrass (antioxidant). This one is supposed to be good for the antioxidants in it. It's supposed to revive your dull skin. And then next one I got a sample of is the BB Seaweed face mask this one is made of seaweed (duh), honey, sweet almond, aloe (good for summertime skin!), olive oil, and rosemary. I am really excited to try this one. I have heard a lot of good things about it. Seaweed is supposed to be really good for your skin :) And I got a sample of Catastrophe Cosmetic This is their blueberry face mask! And it smells simply AMAZING! There is a lot of blueberries and calamine in this one. It's great to calm and cleanse your skin to feel refreshed. I love the smell so much!

Next I got a Therapy Massage Bar The main reason I got this massage bar is because I have heard a lot of people say that it works well on stretch marks. And to be honest I have some from when I got my curves after high school. I would love to minimize the look of those. So I decided to give it a try. I expect that it will take awhile to see any results, and really I'm not really expecting to. But we'll see. Nonetheless it smells nice and feels soft. Its really oily, because its meant to be for a massage. But anyways, it smells like orange and lavender.

I got a sample of Lemony Flutter Cuticle Cream because my cuticles are ALWAYS dry This one smells like lemons of course. But its kind of got a sweet lemon scent about it. Its really oily so I'm hoping it kicks these cuticles into shape! It has so many yummy things in it! such as Fresh lemon infusion, shea butter, beeswax, soya oil, avocado oil, flaxseed oil, mango butter, castor oil, wheatgerm oil, lemon oil, lavender oil, chamomile oil, and gardenia extract! It smells fantastic!

And on the same page of moisturizing my hands.. Helping Hands Cream I just got this the other day and I love it! I think its really going to become my new hand lotion. Its so thick and it seems to really moisturize those super dry parts of my hands. It was originally created with doctors and nurses in mind who have to wash their hands a lot. I like this little size because its perfect for slipping into my purse! It smells pretty to me as well. Its a light pink color and smells like chamomile and almond, with a hint of honey. I love it :)

I also got some Vanillary Solid Perfume It smells like warm vanilla. I like it, but not as much as my Honey I Washed The Kids solid perfume This one smells JUST like the soap! I love it :)

Next thing I have (but haven't used yet. I have given away a few samples of it though!) is Yummy Yummy Yummy Shower Gel This is a strawberry shower gel with a hint of hibiscus flowers. It smells just like the Strawberry Feels Forever Massage Bar I love this scent. It's so light and yummy to me. It really smells like strawberries and hibiscus flowers :) It's not a fake fruity flowery scent that you might expect.

My mother in law loves Lush's Snowcake soap, it's a Christmas time only special Its a sweet warm almond scent. I've heard of it being described as "sparkely" scented like the "fizz" from champagne... ummm what? I guess I kind of get what she is trying to say... but really I feel like the best way to describe it is just almond, like almond tea cookies. Anyways, since it's just a Christmas time special I was looking for something that smelled kind of like it in any other product to get for her. So I googled a few things and I kept hearing girls say that the Smitten lotion smells like Snowcake saop So I went to try it for myself. I was talking to the sales lady about how I was looking for it for my mother in law and that I didn't know if she would like it since it was a lotion, and I didn't know if she used lotion on a regular basis. Because I knew that my mother in laws hair was the opposite of mine, oily, so I figured that she might have similar skin. I didn't think she would really need a really moisturizing (this lotion is really oily to me) lotion if she is prone to oily skin... hmmmm. So the sales lady told me to take a tub and see if she liked it. And if she did then I could keep getting it for her from them whenever she ran out. I really didn't know about it though. So I went ahead and got it, and low and behold when I mentioned it to my mother in law, we'll call her Monika (that's her real name :P), she said that she only likes to put lotion on when she is near to a towel to wipe her hands dry afterwards. ?!??!?! Doesn't that defeat the purpose of putting the lotion on? And she said that the smell doesn't stay with her as long as the Snowcake soap, but maybe that's because she wipes it off? She said she doesn't like the feel of oil on the top of her hands. So oh well. I like the smell of it, and I use it at night sometimes on my legs for more moisture :)

MMM next I got a Pop In The Bath Bubble Bar This one smells like mandarin oranges, lemon, bergamot flowers, with a hint of an olive oil scent. Its a really calming relaxing scent to me. Plus its such a bright blue! It makes the water so much fun to be in :) I love to use this with my Olive Branch Shower Gel I'm pretty sure they are meant to smell like each other. Lush does this, incase you couldn't tell....

If you ever wanted to glow of gold glitter I have just the bubble bar for you! Sunny Side This is one of the most fun bubble bars in my opinion. The only one that would beat it is the Flosty Gritter Same idea glitter wise, but in pink! And they smell different. I've never tried the Flosty Gritter one, because everytime I think about getting it, I go for Sunny Side instead! The Sunny Side is a really citrusy scent of oranges and lemons. And the Flosty Gritter is more sweet like strawberries and cream with some vanilla. Ohhh now that I think about it, that sounds divine! I might have to get that sometime (wait... Vanessa.... wait...)

Ok moving on! I still have 2 more pages! Ugh.... Ok You've Been Mangoed Bath Melt These "bath melts" are supposed to be added to a bath for silky skin :) This one in particular smells like sweet almond, avocado, mango, lemon, and lime! Sounds delicious right? And its chalk full of cocoa butter and various oils to make your skin soft!

Another bath melt I got was one of the first Lush products that I ever tried! Dreamtime This one has stuff in it! I think its lavender and chamomile :) As for the smell, its really relaxing with the lavender and chamomile oils, almond, ginger, and jasmine. I used this as a hand soak the other day, it was so relaxing.

And the last bath melt that I got is a pretty pink one, Mmm Melting Marshmallow Moment This one is made with marshmallow powder! It smells so girly and sweet.

Someone gave me a bottle of the Happy Hippy Shower Gel This one (as most of the shower gels) can be used in your hair if you want as well. I opt not to use them that way. I don't think it would be moisturizing enough. With that said though, this gel smells so bright! Its a grapefruit one :) I love the smell of grapefruit! It has grapefruit juice, grapefruit water, and grapefruit oil in it! But its not just grapefruit, it also has a splash of bergamot flowers and frankincense! This is a perfect morning gel to get you wide awake. and I know people always say that about citus ones, but this one is not too in your face so to me its nicer for morning. The florals really help make it a more subtle wake up scent.

Next I have two new face toners. The first one (the one that I have been using until yesterday) is Eau Roma Water This one is mostly made up of rose and lavender water. It smells and feel so nice on my skin. And it doesn't make your skin feel all tight and pulled out like all the other toners I have ever tried in my life. I have really seen an improvement in my skin since I have started using this. My face is more calm, and I still breakout, just not as bad. It seems to clear up faster then it used to. A plus of course!

Then the new face toner that I got is A Breath Of Fresh Air This one has fresh spring water, fresh sea water, aloe vera, carrageenan, rose absolute, rosemary oil, and seaweed absolute. This one has way more things in it that are good for your skin. I am excited to try it out. Its supposed to be really good for the summer skin from being out in the sun!

I got some more Rub Rub Rub from someone I have already blogged about that product...

Next I was given some Paradise Regained to try out I really liked this one. I barely use any! Its going to last me so long! I love that because it's kind of spendy! One of the main things that draws me to this lotion is that there is some sun protectants in it, so I don't have to use a daily sun screen ontop of my daily face moisturizer! Its not my favorite scent, but its not bad either! I would recommend this to all my girlfriends! Wearing a sun protectant everyday is really important. And I know for me, as I get older I really see the need to moisturize my face :)

For this product I was really curious about the texture, its made from thousands of blended/creamed rose petals! Turkish Delight Body Polish And the texture is still interesting to me. When I was a child I crushed up a ton of rose petals because I wanted to make my mom a perfume, and the texture reminds me of that, so it makes me happy. However the smell of this product is sooooo strong. I like it, but its a little too much for me! It has roses and jasmine, and its a really moisturizing item, I just cannot get past that strong smell! I used it to shave my legs and it worked nicely like that. Apparently what you are supposed to do is coat your skin with it before you get in the shower and let it set/dry for about ten minutes and then rinse it off in the shower. I guess its supposed to make your skin feel silky soft. I haven't tried it like that because I am worried I will smell so strongly of it all day afterwards, which is normally something I like. But something about this scent gives me a headache. So yeah.

Whoosh Another shower jelly (like Jello). These things are so cool! This one is a sharp in your face citrus scent! Lemon, lime, grapefruit, and rosemary oil.

Time for another Easter time special bath bomb! The Honey Bun The shape is borrowed from a traditional japanese cake! How cute :) This is a caramel, honey, and toffee smell. Very warm and sweet, much like the HIWTK soap!

I think I have mentioned this product before.... Sugar Babe Sugar Scrub This is such a light sweet smelling sugar scrub. Its scented with mimosa and ylang ylang flowers. And then there is a dollop of red colored coconut oil in the middle for more moisture! So sweet! And I think the value is great at only $4.50 per chunk of it! I separate mine into individual sized ziplock bags so that I don't accidentally get a section that I am not using wet. Because water spreads to the whole thing if you even get just a small part of it wet. Not that once it gets wet you can use it anymore, its just that the sugar might melt into the water and it won't be a scrub anymore, just a yummy smelling shower gel :)

Ok for this next one, this is actually my second one. The first one I got I used as an "emotibomb" which is basically a shower bomb. You set it on the floor of your hot shower and the steam helps raise the essential oils and makes your bathroom smell wonderful! However this Hippy Chick (another Easter one) dissolved in the shower SUPER fast and it didn't smell like anything in the shower. I was so disappointed. But this bomb is actually to use in the shower or the bath tub. So I figured its just better as a bath bomb. When I went back one of the sales ladies asked me how I liked it, so I told her... and she gave me a new one for free to use in the bath tub. I still haven't tried it, but I am looking forward to it because.... its grapefruit scented! And don't you just love the shape! I love the little orange beak :)

Next we have a bath bomb, one of the small ones, but not small in smell! Think Pink I bought one of these for my younger sister in law, and another one for me :) The smell is vanilla, tonka, neroli, and lavender, and there is pink heart confetti in the middle! Sooooo girly!

For one of their party RSVP giveaways (crazy hat party promoting hair care) I got a free Godiva Solid Shampoo bar (puck) Mine is so much prettier though! Mine is yellow with orange chunks and there are actual dried flowers in it too! I couldn't find a decent photo online. Sorry! Anyways.... this shampoo lathers like nobodies business! I couldn't believe how much rich thick lather I got from just a few swipes of the bar over my hair! The only think I would change about this one is the scent... its so pretty, smells like jasmine. I am just not a fan of jasmine. So that's why I would like to change it. However, it was the most moisturizing solid shampoo, that's why I got it anyways. And to be honest, it is growing on me.... This shampoo bar has chucks of cocoa and shea butter for the conditioning part. You are supposed to be able to use it as a 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner, but not so much for me :)

This next product was my first allergic reaction to something Lush related! I've never come across corn in their products so I guess I just assumed it wasn't something they used, I was wrong :( The Vanilla Puff Powder (like a dusting talc from the old days!) It smells fantastic, and feels surprisingly soft on your skin! I was expecting to not like something like this because of my dry skin, but its actually got a secret ingredient to ward off drying you out! The secret is cocoa butter shavings! How ingenious! I love it. But the first ingredient is corn flour, so my skin broke out in an angry red rash every where that I dusted the powder :( I didn't really notice it until I went to go shower and I used a sugar scrub and it hurt SO bad! I plan on giving this to my little sisters in law because I know they will love it. Really the smell is soooo sweet. And its a great way to get a lingering scent on your skin like I like :)

Ok now, everyone pick up this item the next time you are in a lush store (you cannot order it online :( boooo) The Hair Doctor - hair and scalp prewash conditioner mask type thing - Really this thing smells so great. Super refreshing. It has a lot of peppermint oil in it, as well as menthol to give you that "tingle" factor while you are letting it sit in your hair and scalp for 20 minutes. Other yummy things in this are Rosemary, carrageenan extract, coconut oil, and jojoba seed oil. This made my scalp stop itching! And it made my hair heavenly! I will rebuy this all the time. I only do it one a week or once every two weeks. I use half a pot because I have a lot of hair! But I feel like its worth it for how healthy my hair has been every since I started using it (I've done it twice, but the first time I only put it on my scalp...) This is another thing that I would tell all my girlfriends to try! I think anyone could benefit from it :)

I just got a sample of some Dream Cream Hand Cream This is probably the most popular hand cream/lotion by lush. The lady that works there insisted that I try it for my dry hands. I actually haven't tried it yet because I have been so in love with the Helping Hands Cream, but we'll see how I like this one... It smells like oats, rose, lavender, and chamomile. So its supposed to be a really soothing calming lotion.

The last shower gel I got (just a sample) is Flying Fox This shower gel has four different kind of honey in it to soften your skin! But the only other scent in it is Jasmine! I am not too fond of it, of course, because of the jasmine. I haven't actually used it in the shower yet, and I know that some things change scents slightly in the water, so we will see. Its just that there is this one lush employee who LOVES all things jasmine and just doesn't quite get it when I say that I don't. She really wants me to like it I guess. It doesn't smell bad, like I said before, its just not my cup of tea.

Ok all I have left are bar soaps! Wahoo, almost done...

First, I got some more Honey I Washed The Kids I cannot get over the addictive honey, toffee, and caramel scent! I mean come on, I bought a solid perfume in the same scent! I bought chunks of this for all the mothers in my life (that includes grandmothers!) and mailed them out to them. Because this is such a potent sweet smell. I know there are some people out there that don't like this soap as much, but I am not one of them! I also got a piece that was dropped (the side was dented and the honey comb was coming off) for free at a lush the other day, I cut it down and gave it to my little sisters in law because I really don't need more of this soap right now! But I cannot refuse free lush. Seriously.

Speaking of free things, sorry I just remembered this! I cannot believe I forgot Jungle Solid Conditioner I am in love with this conditioner. I cannot even count how many conditioners I have ever tried. I have chronically dry hair (it seems at times) and I felt like nothing gave me enough conditioner to make my hair healthy and soft so that it didn't fluff, frizz, and tangle when I wanted to wear it down. I am so impressed with this conditioner I cannot speak highly enough of it! It makes my hair so soft and healthy. And actually my hair has straightened out when it dries in the daytime after using this conditioner, which makes for less tangles. But if I wash at night and then go to bed I get more of my natural curls, but still not tangly! And as proof that it doesn't weigh my hair down at all... I had some static going on when I was brushing my hair this morning! lol! I don't know how they do it, but every girl should use this conditioner! I got a lot for free the last time that I was in there because there was a lady (someone who never tried lush before) looking at the different conditioners and I started talking to her about Jungle because I love it so much and she ended up buying a huge chunk of it after trying a sample on her hair over the sink at the store, so after she left the employee and I were talking about it some more and she gave me a huge chunk for free and thanked me for how much I talk to other customers about their stuff! I love helping people out with their stuff anyways, I like when people help me out too! So it was so nice of them! They said that they've had some issues with this last batch crumbling when they are cutting chunks off for people, and its true, it crumbled a lot when I was using it yesterday. But whatever, it still works, and it was FREE! She suggested I try it out as a shaving cream for my legs!??!? Whaaaaat?! I wouldn't have ever thought of that! But you see I don't shave my legs very often because my skin on my legs is very sensitive! So it really hurts everytime I shave. And I use a thick shaving cream. So I was interested in trying this out. OMG let me tell you... it was so soft! And it didn't hurt at all while I was shaving and it didn't hurt at all afterwards either! And since its a conditioner my legs weren't all dried out afterwards (which happens to me too, it looks all scaly dry usually unless I slather on lotion afterwards, which can irritate the follicles.lame). I have loved this conditioner to the end of the earth and back. If they make it for my whole life I don't see why I wouldn't use it that long!

Ok now back to the soaps! Next (a new one) Vanilla In The Mist This is a coffee, vanilla, and orange (lightly) smelling soap. I also feel like I can smell the sunflower oil in there. It smells like a warm rich scent. I haven't used this one yet, but I've heard it lathers really well. Oh! And there are real vanilla pods in the top of it! How cute. I love how Lush does those type of things.

Another one that I haven't tried yet but really like the smell is Bohemian This is actually the second lemon scented soap that I have smelled from lush. The first one being Sexy Peel. I like both, but Sexy Peel has cornstarch in it :( Plus I think I like the more subtle smell of the Bohemian. Sexy Peel is really really strong and reminds me of those lemon dish soaps, but Bohemian smells more to me like a soap you would use on your skin. Its a really light scent. Plus I've heard that it doesn't melt away too fast, which is always a plus for money saving!

Rockstar The delicious girly rock candy soap! This smell is so intoxicatingly sweet. It smells to me what all little girls would want to smell like, sugary girliness. How else can I describe it?!

Now for a super super creamy soap! Sultana Of Soap Doesn't it kind of look like a fruitcake soap?! Cute. I love all the dried fruit on the top. I wonder how thats going to feel though? I wonder if they get softer as it soaks up more and more water. We'll see. I haven't tried this one yet. I have heard that its a really moisturizing soap though. I hear a lot of people use this to shave with. It smells to me like a soap. But a good one. Its supposed to just smell like spicy olibanum. I don't really know what that is though...

And LAST!!!!! But not least, I got a chunk of Figs And Leaves This is a popular soap I guess. I've never tried it because I was so drawn to the other sweet or citrusy scents first. This one is more earthy, floral. They use whole figs in this soap. I like the smell. I haven't tried it yet. I got it mostly for my grandmother for Mothers Day. I think she will like it because its not one of those really powerful scents! Its nice though, really nice. I can't wait to try it out.

I'll have to get back to you guys on the things that I haven't used yet. But everything smells and feels really great. I'm so excited. I cannot believe how many hours it took me to write all this out! I told you I had a lot of new stuff. But keep in mind that a lot of this stuff is sample sized, or was given to me. I bought a lot too though.... Ugh. Done. Now I need to go take a bath ;)