Hothouse Botanicals

DONT FORGET TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY FOR DON'T CALL ME A CROOK!

I have discovered an awesome new company! It is called Hothouse Botanicals.
At Hothouse Botanicals they create bath and body products that are 100% Vegan, contain simple natural ingredients, essential oils, and are housed in recyclable containers. They are totally natural and organic AND are free of harmful preservatives, contain no synthetic fragrances/perfumes and colors, and are Dirty Dozen Free. 

They have four signature scents that she develops herself using only essential oils.

Bourbon Geranium (a rosy minty scent)
Bergamot/Ylang Ylang (a spicy orange floral)
Lavender/Litsea Cubeba (a lavender lemon aroma)
Vanilla/Lime

Hothouse Botanicalls sent me a fabulous little sampling of their products.  I received all three of their solid fragrances, as well as her Vanilla Lime Sugar Scrub.

OH. MY. GAWD.

The sugar scrub?  HEAVEN.  Our youngest has been home sick the past week, and let me tell you....this sugar scrub saved me!  Every night I used it in the bath, after the baby went

to bed (for all of two fitful hours at a time!) and it was such a release.  And my skin just loved it!  You know when you are pregnant, it's like your skin is on fire ALL DAY LONG?  It's not just me, is it?  This sugar scrub totally killed it for me.  Loved it.  And it smelled so good!  Even my oblivious husband noticed it.

The organic solid perfumes are just as amazing!  I loved that

they are solid because then I can put them wherever I want.  I discovered that if I put them on my pressure points, then the scent would kind of rejuvenate itself during the day!  It was awesome.  My favorite was totally the licorice candy scent.  I was hesitant to try this one, because licorice perfume?!  Weird right?  WRONG.  It smelled so good, it made my kids hungry.  I love licorice, so I loved faintly smelling it all through the day.  There are two other scents too- Love's Embrace, a floral scent with jasmine and spice, and also Seductress (hubba hubba) which had violet and bergamot.  I loved these two also, but the Licorice Candy won me over.  

Hothouse Botanicals is an awesome company, with products I can totally stand behind.  Plus- they offer free shipping on all orders $40 and more.  AWESOME!

Go check em out, and tell her J.Danger sent ya!

XOXO (and smelling fine!)

J.Danger

Don't Call Me a Crook!

DONT FORGET TO ENTER MY OTHER GIVEAWAY!  A CUTE LITTLE NECKLACE MADE BY MARU MARU DESIGNS!!!!!!!!!!

Wow, I cannot believe it!  TWO GIVEAWAYS in one week!  So rad.

Lisa Roe, online publicist extraordinaire,  kindly gave me a review copy of Don't Call Me a Crook! by Bob Moore.  I just finished it last night, and I loved it.  

Here is a bit from the website-

"The 1920s didn't roar for Moore. They exploded. And whether he was snatching jewelry or in the thick of a New York high society orgy, he embraced the age with a bear hug. And nothing—not Prohibition, marriage, or the police—was going to stop him from having a good time."

It was very good.  It reminded me a lot of something like Keroauc and the likes.  He strikes me as the LAST type of man that would write a book, let alone an autobiography, but I am glad he did.  Drinking, stealing, traveling all over the world, Chinese pirates, opium smuggling, you name it- Bob Moore did it.  Like it was nuthin'.

"So, as the night drew on the Second Mate that was with me started to be very depressed because this was the first time he had ever been in a gaol, and I must say it was not a very good introduction, and besides that he seemed to think that now he had been in gaol he would lose all his reputation.  I really felt more sorry for him than I did for my own predicament because I think it must be a worry to lose your reputation, but that is never a thing that I have had to bother about because I have never had any reputation to lose."

Ha!

"The man that had made this execution stood leaning on his sword, looking down at his work for a minute, but as soon as he saw that another cut would not be needed he handed it to the bearer to be wiped, and then he turned and marched away."

Just so you know, this was NOT the first execution Mr. Moore witnessed in this book. There was more, before this one!

It was a good read, and it felt good to be reading "for fun" again, now that school is (kind of) out for the time being.

Lisa, and Dissident Books ( an awesome INDIE bookhouse BTW!) are kind enough to let me give this copy away! All you need to do is leave me a comment letting me know you would like this awesome read!

I will let this contest run until June 3rd, then I will randomly choose the winner.

Have fun!

xoxo,

J.Danger

WW: Stupid Cupid

DONT FORGET TO ENTER MY NECKLACE GIVEAWAY FROM MARU MARU DESIGNS!!!!!

WW: Wanda would be proud...

Because free is always better than cheap!

Ok folks.  I am proud of you all.  You guys have stuck with me for these pasts few weeks...listening to my bitching, cheering me on, and telling me that I don't look THAT fat (liars).  

So I have something for you.

Something sparkly!

Something dangly!

Ta- dah!

This is a Swarovski Crystal Heart Drop necklace from the fabulous Maru Maru!

She does such beautiful work.

Like this-

And this-

And this-

I swear, if I had a million bucks, I would spend it in her store.

Plus, she makes it all herself!  So fabulous.

She is so amazing that she is offering to give away ONE of her crystal heart necklaces.  

To enter-

1.  Head on over to her Etsy store and browse around.  Leave me a comment here, telling me which item you would like to have all to yourself.

****For extra entries you can....

1. Follow my blog

2. Follow MaruMaru on  Twitter 

3. Friend her on the Space

4. Blog about this giveaway, leave a comment to let me know.

5. Tweet about this giveaway.  Leave me a comment letting me know.  You can tweet and retweet to your little hearts content.

Contest will run through this week, and I will draw the winner of THIS HERE GOODIE on the 1st.  Good luck! 

XOXO,

J.Danger

Peacocks and Peanut Butter Smooshies

So I don't know who invented the whole blood born pathogens safety nonsense and all that, but every time I get pregnant, I get the itch reallllllll bad.

No, not THAT itch.

The itch to get tattooed.  I know it is probably just because I can't, but it is always magnified when I am in the "family way".  Cory and I get tattooed (not nearly as much as we would like) every couple of months or so, so being pregnant puts a damper in the sitch.

I told Cory that he can tattoo me as soon as I push out this fruit of his loins, so I have been thinking about what to get.

Trashy rose that says I Love Cory?  

Oh oh oh I know- a yin/yang sign!

Or how about a word that is spelled wring in Chinese?

FAIL.

I know what I want to get, I want to fill in the space on my forearm that I have been saving.

With my peacock.  There are only a few things that I collect- vintage eyeglasses, anything Miss Kitty, and Peacocks.

What do ya think?  Peacock it is? Help me, to help you, to help me decorate my body.

Talk amongst yourselves.

But while you do- make yourselves these cookies.  They are fab!

(shown here is the buttascotch, yo! version)

I got the recipe years ago out of a cookbook that I (snagged from my dad who originally) bought at a boat store.  Random.  It is called 6 ingredients or less, which is perfect if you ask me.

It is an odd recipe because there is no flour, but if you FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS they come out every time.

Peanut Butter Cookies-

1 cup peanut butter, smooth or crunchy

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 

1/4 cup chopped walnuts 

(You don't actually NEED the walnuts or chocolate chips, but you NEEEEEEED them)

Combine ingredients and mix well.  Drop by teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for 8 minutes or until batter starts to firm up and lightly brown.  Makes about 2 1/2 dozen (they lie)

I usually cook mine for a little longer, closer to about 12 minutes.  You have to let them firm up and cool, otherwise you will just be eating hot peanut butter. Which is pretty good too.

I like them because they are super easy, and every pantry has these things.  No store!  SCORE!

So, now that you are done- peacock?

Let's Recap-

These are backwards, starting from his THIRD, and last birthday party...

My mom came down with my brother to see me!  Ok, ok, really just for Oliver.

You got me.

After a HUGE BBQ, he got to pick out his own ice cream cake.  He wanted to pop the balloons.

This was his second birthday party.  It was just a boring little ole house party with the 'rents.

He was stoked, especially since this was the second time in one day he got to have cupcakes.  We made three dozen homemade rainbow cupcakes for his class that day.  And we crafted up some thank you cards for his BFFS that came to his partay.

This was the after math of his first party at Nanny Robins.

Holy Cow!  After his presents, she got him his very own cake!

Alas, the party that started it all (well, not really that was mom and pop!).  His Nanny threw him a party at a place here in town that has everything a toddler could want in a party.  And everything a parent could want too!  Which meant, they did everything for us!

I think that Oliver has just had a birthday party for every member in his immediate family!  We will all be forced to forfeit our own birthdays out of sheer over celebration!

But they are only young once right?!  And if it weren't for nannies, the world would be a terrible terrible place.

So what else- I am so behind on my blog, and I am so sorry.  I know I said I had a giveaway last week, BUT......drumroll please-  I am working on another site!  Yes mam, a review/giveaway site.  So I stocking up on the posts as we speak and I am so excited for it!  I can't wait for everyone to see it so I can give away all these goodies!  I am reviewing so many awesome things, and I can't wait to share them with you.

Mother's day went well...dirty dish extravaganza and all (I LOVE YOU HONEY)....finals are almost over.  I have one more to go, tomorrow, and then this semester is wrapped up for me.

I have some copy editing work lined up for the summer, and some research work, which will keep my brain busy so I don't get stuck on diapers and choo choos.

AND....Cory and I have some serious decision making to do in the near future...about a few things....but for now, I am day dreaming about it and doing my homework!

So kind of mundane, but at least now I feel caught up.  Now I can go on about my blogging.

Thanks for waiting for me-

xoxo,

J.Danger

Armed Forces Day

Today is Armed Forces day!  

This is my brother and his gorgeous wife, both of whom I adore...

They both serve selflessly in the Air Force.

I love them both, and am proud of them for doing what they love.

I want them both home soon!  I need a fix!

On another note- HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYNO!

Here is a picture of Ryno....

Happy Birthday Ryno!  Thanks for being awesome.

xoxo,

J.Danger

Won't somebody please think of the children?!

Where oh where has my baby gone?

Seems like yesterday he was a drooly puppy face little man. 

Today he is a drooly puppy faced three year old.

Happy Birthday Oliver!

We love you.

xoxo,

Mom, Dad, Tommy, and Elliot Owl.

Not Waving, but drowning

So just a quick breath of air.

I have so much to tell you guys!  Mother's day stories, Oliver's birthday party, lots and lots.

Oh...and a second blog..... YEP!

And a giveaway...... YEP!

But first- I have finals.  This week and next.

Today is my hardest one of them all....in roughly two hours.  I feel good.

I need to keep this up- remember?!

So that is where I will be. For now.  But I will be back.

Keeping my eyes on the prize-

J.Danger

p.s.- oh ya- there will be cookies too! Delicious delicious cookies.  So come back!  Wait for me...

WW: Hellllllllooooo Third Trimester!

Taking it easy for all you sinners out there...

Warning- I am taking a cue from my friend  Nicole, and spouting off some bragging rights.  So if you are not interested in hearing about how awesome I am, or in anything pertaining to me and school, this would be a good time to go feign interest in someone else's blog.

Still reading?  You've been warned, so I don't want to hear it.

Ok.  I am pretty pleased this semester folks.  One class is iffy- it all weighs on my final- but assuming that it goes well, I am only weeks away from a 4.0.

That's right, STRAIGHT MOTHER EFFING A's bitches!

I am so excited, I cannot wait to wrap this semester up.  I still have three (ish) weeks to go, which I am sure will be absolutely pleasant and breezy (yeah right!) but then I am done for now.  After this, I have only two more teensie weensie classes left.  I come back for those in August.  Yes, August.  Roughly five days after Elliot is due.  Fun Fun Fun!

Fortunately, Cory, my mom, and the entire department here at school has rallied around me on this one.  Two of my professors have independently written in for me to receive the department scholarship for next semester.  And assuming that my grades roll in like I expect them too this semester, then my private scholarship will also be renewed next semester.  Then I wait for Honors grants from the University, which should be finalized in June.

I also got asked to work with one of the professors here over the summer.  She has a book coming out in January and she has asked me to continue working on it with her, which is (lining our pockets and giving me publishing credit and spiffy lines on my C.V) terribly exciting!

I also am getting really excited about Grad school!  My GPA is on track, my C.V. is lining up nicely, and my GRE's are (so far) on par.  I can see it in the horizon.  But that is another story entirely....it makes my heart race a little to think about it.

So - that's that.  I am really excited.  It is such a nice feeling to know that not only am I finally finishing (TEN YEARS LATER- LITERALLY) but that I am finishing remarkably well.  I have worked so long and so hard on this, I almost can't believe that this stage is almost done.  It is also exciting to see Tomas so excited.  I promised myself a long time ago that if I started this, I was damn sure going to finish it; if not for myself than at least for him because my kids are watching and Cory and I are their first and foremost examples.  I want them to see me finish.  So I will.

Plus, Cory and my mom and so many people have poured so much into this for me, and so many members of the faculty have put themselves on the line for me- I would be doing them a disservice if I did not finish this.

So I will.

And I will finish well.

Oh!  And guess what-  we are officially in the third (and LAST) trimester!  We are getting ready to welcome the new little one in only a few months.  And by getting ready, I mean talking about doing things to get ready, and then not doing them.  Oh, and mentally preparing ourselves for the house to instantly feel smaller, stinkier, messier, and generally more full of boyish-ness.  You know that feeling, moms.  Anyone?  Anyone?

Almost as though Karma is trying to warm me up for having count em 1-2-3 boys, my coffee pot broke.  So this morning resulted in three different ways of me attempting to make coffee somehow, none of which succeeded.

This is going to be totally sweet.

xoxo,

J.Danger

Pubescent Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a lot like puberty, oddly enough.

Your body starts growing RAPIDLY in weird places.  Like your feet, and your abdomen.  And your chin. And your feet STAY that big too! 

" I guess that's the way the whole durned human comedy keeps perpetuatin' itself".

Your hormones go bezerker, (BEZERRRRRRR-KER!) and half the time you have no idea what the hell is going on in there.

You think everyone is always staring at you (because they are).

You worry if your significant other will still be in loooooovvvvve with you in the morning.

You eat.  A LOT.

And, you grow funny hair in funny places.

Lets face it ladies, it's true.

I have this halo of new hair growth.  Makes me look like a damn angel.  A frizzy, mousy BROWN, stand-straight-up-CONSTANTLY-despite-numerous-applications-of wax-and-hot-iron-angel.

I should be sainted.

Not to mention the quickly multiplying GRAY HAIRS. 

And my belly... or Elliot's belly actually, because lets just keep it real here, is fuzzy.  FUZZY.  Fuzzy navel anyone?

Captain disgusto.

But, you know how I know it is a lot like puberty?

(Here is the part where the men in my house begin to hate me.  Oh well...)

Because Tomas is hittin' the ground running with this one folks.

Lets just say that I am NOT the only one on Team Danger growing hair in weird places.

Tweens?   Not the best hygiene practices.  Every once and a while, despite his embarrassment, I force him to bath, and I get a month's worth of scrub on.  Last night- there was obvious hair.

I cried.  And then I died a little bit on the inside.  Because that's my baby, my little man.

And now my little man is becoming a medium man.

Next is girls...and squeaky voice...and phone calls....and "privacy".

What is a mom to do?

Do you think he will notice if I start un-raising him?  Like maybe if I just act like HE is the new baby?  

Maybe no one will notice?

What?!

Can I tap out now?

xoxo,

(The ever expanding and graying) J.Danger