Category: Karie Herring

Karie Herring, Jeep aficionado, organic advocate and chef, details life as a reformed corporate woman, wife and motherhood to her twins and tween.

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The Problem with Politics, Religion, and Vacuum Cleaners

Sounds odd right? The politics, religion, and vacuum cleaners combination. Really though have you met anyone that refuses to back down on their personal opinion of their political stance, their staunch religious beliefs, and the fact they have the best damned vacuum cleaner ever?

I thought so.

No, each of these believes that their way is the best. The sect of religion is THE sacred path to redemption, their party is the GOP (Grand O’l Party) and again THE party. Or maybe that the Dyson they own is truly THE BEST sucker out there. Moving on.

A few weeks back I attended a workshop for stampers, they are quite literally more fanatical about stamps than scrapbook creators are about widgets and paper. The workshop was rather enjoyable especially since my Grant baby was enthralled in the Holly and Hal Moose video from Build-A-Bear and he has his own crafty projects to make.

Time passed and the small group of women tediously worked on their projects, perfecting and adding the minute details of their cookie cutter, quite literally Xerox copies of each others project, cards. Niceties were exchanged, gabbing commenced, and then the ultimate blow of offenses.

“You know it is not a ‘Holiday Tree’ this is America, it is called a ‘Christmas Tree’ so let’s just call it that and move on and quit trying to be friends with these crazy Muslims and what not…”

Now I am not, by any means, an easily offended person. But that comment, spewed from the mouth of an older, white, staunch conservative, no more than a high school education, WOMAN, pissed me the hell off. Why? Why was I so clearly irked by her lack of cultural sensitivity, her blissful ignorance, her sheer disregard for her new audience? Hmm, one could wonder why right?

Not I. I had no care to wonder, because this woman who was hosting me in her home had no idea whether my messiah was derived from the over translated New Testament, the Book of Moses, or if my messiah might possibly be Muhammad himself, or better yet a higher language of thought and enlightenment through Buddhism or hell maybe I was Satan reincarnate through Hinduism in the form of a hot blond. Do you see my level here? No? Here is the deal.

You can be Catholic, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Mormon, an Atheist, a Pagan, a Hindu, or Buddhist, but do NOT assume that because we live in what I feel is a large melting pot of cultural  beliefs and racial assimilates that I too am as ignorant and a staunch conservative, WHITE, pseudo-Republican, and Christ belief bearing as you. I truly do not mind that so many people have so many beliefs, I rather find the various beliefs of great interest to me, I question everything because I wish to learn more, not find the one divine path to redemption. I find redemption within my own self, not from some righteous ass who tells me I need to find redemption by giving to their authority in the form of cash and guilty Sabbath visits or confessionals.

I will admit, I am Caucasian, I am a registered card bearing member of the Republican Party, I am also a gun owner, a baptized Baptist whom has been non-practicing for over 20 years, I am Pro Choice (GASP!), and I like many other morons voted for Bush…TWICE, but I also voted for Barrack Obama. I believe in Mother Earth, a higher power of sorts, reincarnation, an afterlife, I believe in free will, choices, the ultimate separation of Church and State because I believe homosexuals should be granted the same unhappiness of marriage like us heterosexual folks. Seriously, why should we be damned granted blissful marriage and divorce only? Makes sense right?

But I do not go about assuming that each and every person I come into contact with is of the same beliefs. I do not push my beliefs like a hustler. I embrace the diversity. I embrace my often mis-informed Republican kin, my zealous Democratic kin (who quite possibly are lost in translation….much like my Republican brethren), I embrace the word of the Torah, the Quran, canon (most likely Tibetan by all intents and purposes), the Book of Mormon, I embrace these as the words of good living, a form of ethics and a higher ascension, not for redemption and “I’m better than you because I believe in Christ” or “You’re going to hell”  (because I don’t believe the way you do). I also do not swallow all these words, but they are chew worthy and food for thought.

Really we spend so much time convincing others of our beliefs that one has to wonder their own religion if they are too busy selling the water. So I will drink the tap and thank you kindly for the hospitality, appreciate your strong beliefs and go on with my merry sinful living to your devout singular beliefs. Because I surely did not just tell you that you HAD to vote for Barrack Obama because we needed change in this country, I did not tell you that you must pray five times a day, barefoot, facing East in order to find divinity in your life, and I surely did not just force my Kenmore Progressive Upright in your face because it IS the best vacuum….Consumer Reports even called it a best buy! Embrace diversity and show a bit of consideration to your audience.

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Pizza for You and Pizza for Me: zpizza

Who in the world does not enjoy a good slice of pie? I for one thoroughly enjoy a good piece (or two) of a pizza pie from a great pizza joint. Especially this year! Why this year?

I have hosted THREE, yes, I said THREE major holidays this year of which two are the biggest, Thanksgiving and Christmas. For each one, I fail to cook the night before because let’s face the facts; who wants to cook a dinner when the next day you spend the ENTIRE day cooking dinner for an army. Plus the baking, the cleaning, the humanity!

Pizza is a big fave in The Fish home and we also enjoy a good bout of organic goodies, I try to shop and buy as much as I possibly can because of all the benefits of going organic which you can read about here. Imagine my surprise when I heard of a pizza joint that has certified organic ingredients I was in heaven!

Seriously though even The Chad thought oxymoron, “Pizza” and “Organic” together? Not possible. Possible.

Well, until he tried zpizza with me and the kids.

Now zpizza is not just about pizza, but salads, sandwiches, and more. zpizza offers a healthy and lighter alternative to some of your favorite foods. The ingredients are some of the finest, exotic, and freshest. 100% certified organic tomato sauce and flour coupled with MSG-free pepperoni for a truly amazing dining experience.

The Fish family received certificates to enjoy a pizza (or other dining options) from zpizza in the last week and I tell you what, seriously some of the most filling, flavorful, tasty, mouth watering, no other pizza can whet your appetite like zpizza. No lie, hands down, some of the best pizza and not because we received certificates to try out the pizza on behalf of zpizza.

I have had a sampling of zpizza before but not like this night, it was HOT, fresh, and OH. SO. GOOD! We ordered locally here in Arizona at the Midtown Phoenix location of 53 W. Thomas Road. I love midtown, downtown Phoenix, lots of up and coming businesses, a very hip and modern area revived in the midtown, downtown area.

The hubs was raving, the kids were cheering, well they weren’t really because they were too busy scarfing down the pizza but you catch my drift. We ordered the American, a wonderful blend of fresh veggies, meat, comparable to a “Supreme” at other pizza places but this one is FULL flavor.

The crust was more of a light bread of sorts, not doughy, not too thick, not too crunchy, the true essence of a brick oven pizza if you have ever had brick oven pizza. The cheese was mild, not salty like traditional pizzas, the sauce was light and enough to add flavor to the pizza without taking over the pie and not dripping off the slices. The toppings. OH, the toppings were out of this world! Fresh! Cooked even, and still fresh. Large helpings of toppings that were full of taste, crispness, and color. If you recall “traditional” pizza the toppings are meek, pitiful, lack in color and taste and most often are soggy from the loads of grease. These toppings literally POPPED from our pie.

Big G wasn’t too hip on the toppings so The Chad and I gladly ate his veggie toppings, savoring, every. Last. Bite. Now “traditional” pizzas leave you full and dissatisfied with yourself, like a glutton, pure swine after you eat it, and even after we had our slices, we were pleasantly full. Not overstuffed like a turkey at holiday or the need to slip into sweat pants, but satisfied on more than several levels.

So does this pizza option sound tempting enough for you?
Is your mouth watering for this tasty delicacy so aptly misnamed as “pizza?”

GOOD! Here is how you can win a $20 certificate to zpizza and avoid cooking for one night!

Mandatory entry: Tell me where the nearest zpizza is to your home and which creation (pizza or otherwise) you would order in your home to chow on?

Extra entries:

  • Follow zpizza on Twitter and get all the “dish”
  • Follow my blog
  • Follow me on Twitter
  • Tweet this giveaway (daily RT’s available): Enter this giveaway for $20 GC for @zpizza with @KariewithaK Ends Jan 5 http://tiny.cc/l1bE3
  • Blog this giveaway
  • Leave a substantial comment on a non-giveaway post (can’t just say Oh Hey saying HI, share the love for Pete’s sake) Worth 5 entries
  • Fan The Fish on Facebook
  • Enter one of my other giveaways and tell me you did (worth 1 entry per giveaway entry, this could be significant depending on the number of current giveaways)
CONTEST ENDS JANUARY  5th 2010
@ 11:59PM ARIZONA TIME
Best of Luck!!
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Going Green Into the New Year ecostore Giveaway

Finding a way to clean your home in an eco-friendly manner is tough considering the marketplace is FILLED with chemically laden and enhanced products. Ammonia based, alcohol based, harsh chemicals that linger and fumigate your home. I have two toddlers and my six year old and believe me, nothing I do not like more than to have harsh, dangerous chemicals in my home and around my children.

My cleaning is pretty unorthodox. I use cans of Coca-Cola to clean my toilet bowls (yes, just the way it eats at the porcelain at your teeth, it can acid wash your NASTY toilet too) so they are sparkling white, hot salt water and half lemons to clean my cutting boards, and cream of tartar to degrease. Need a bleaching? Lemon juice and the sun. What? You thought that combo was only for the nasty blond dye jobs? Think again.

I was asked by ecostore USA to review a few of the products in their line. I received Front Loader Laundry Powder and the Citrus Spray Cleaner to try in my home (in exchange for this review…*Hi FTC).

A bit of back information on ecostore USA:

Founded by Melanie and Malcolm Rands of New Zealand. The eco couple in their eco-village “shared a commitment to organic growing and healthy living, making this an ideal environment in which a young, environmentally conscious business could thrive. Each household in the village was responsible for their own waste water, which quickly highlighted the problems caused by using regular supermarket cleaning products that relied heavily on cheap, petroleum-based, synthetic ingredients” (ecostoreusa.com, 2009).

15 years later their idea to better the world with better and eco-friendly products now have them exporting into the United Kingdom, the USA, and Australia. How are the products better? How are they more eco-friendly? Well because the products are all plant based. Citrus, coconuts, palms, essential oils for fragrance, and minerals (like salt). The ingredients are not based on the creation in a “lab” but derived from nature

The Front Loader Laundry Powder:
I was highly skeptical of this product. The scooper was small, and when you have been accustomed to commercial laundry soap for many years the change is drastic. I was even leery of the scent, however, after my first few loads I was impressed. I was truly blown away, I know by soap? But seriously if you have a front loader you know the “funk” you can get from time to time. I actually lost an trace of “funk” in my Frigidaire front loader when using this product. I even enjoyed the clean scent where the clothes actually smelled clean and not perfumy clean.

The Citrus Spray Cleaner:
The cleaner was effective. I used it everywhere around my house; bathrooms, kitchen, dining table, high chairs, anywhere that was goopy, nasty, and needed a good thorough cleansing. However, I was not thrilled with the scent. The scent was rough, harsh, even though vegan, the scent did emit a harsh chemical smell and air to it and I had to be sure to use it in open areas with windows open. But the scent was truly citrus and possibly the scent could have been the mixture with old nasty chemicals in the rooms. All in all though the cleaner was effective.

Now here is how you can win some of these great green and eco-friendly products to use in and around your home. Choose up to $25 worth of products with a giftcard, here’s how:

Mandatory entry:

Check out the ecostore USA and tell me what two products you would like to have in your home (aside from the two mentioned above).

Extra entries:

  • Sign up for the ecostore USA newsletter (worth 5 entries)
  • Follow my blog
  • Fan The Fish
  • Follow me on Twitter
  • Follow ecostoreusa on Twitter
  • Tweet this giveaway (Daily tweets available!!) : I’m going green with this giveaway from @KariewithaK and @ecostoreusa http://tiny.cc/nqOon
  • Blog this giveaway (worth 5 entries)
CONTEST ENDS JANUARY 1ST 2010
@ 11:59PM ARIZONA TIME

Best of luck!
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Blogs are Heartbreak Warfare

While jogging tonight I suddenly was overwhelmed by emotion. A huge sweeping wave that I have been fighting; for how long who knows. Tears came streaming and I fought them, I fought the burn. I used the excuse of the cold night air and the fact I just sprinted three-quarters of a mile, the burn in my chest, the ache, just the run. Then I smelled manure. Yes, that is it, just the manure for the rye grass seed of the prima Donna yards of the Arizona winter.

The burn faded as I began to power walk and breathe swiftly, the manure had subsided, the wave was now a tsunami. What was this feeling, why the onset of sadness, the overbearing feeling of emotion beating at my chest, weighing on my heart and mind. I felt as my head were in a tailspin, my eyes gravitated to the night sky to gaze upon the stars to ease this ache. My iPod was shuffling songs with varying beats per minute to keep me in line with my jog when finally I was floored by John Mayer.

I had listened to the song many times before, not a problem. Suddenly this song meant so much more to me today, at this moment than it ever had before. I realized the pain I was feeling was that of the last year and most recent events in my and others lives. The cost was my emotional toll of all these events. So much of my own emotion has been laid ever so bravely, albeit sometimes foolishly (to always wear my heart on my sleeve), with my blog. I have watched others do the same. Most recently a mother who experienced the most horrific tragedy fell victim to more pain because of her choice to bravely share an experience, to avoid her solitary confinement of despair, shock, and grief. Others have been victim to bad blood of failed business relations, failed friendships, even families are ever divided. In some situations the division could equate to infamous literary feuds: Montague v. Capulet and Hatfield v. McCoy.

Each story a heart, each heart a soul, and for each soul is one person sharing his or her story. Most share the story out of love, the love of writing, the love of life, the love of children, the love of their story because so many feel their pain, their joy, whatever the distinguished emotion, their situation is not exclusive, and yet so often we look at the blog, the tweet, the update as true social media, notwithstanding the true MEDIA aspect of news. Our posts are not FOX news, a breaking story from CNN, but a simple soul, an individual sharing their love for their life and the experiences they share no matter how callous, heartless, devastating, shocking, appalling, or deplorable.

Our blogs, our updates, our Tweets have become quite literally, and thank you John Mayer, Heartbreak Warfare. Jealousy fuels because of the lack of PR exclusivity, bombs of hate between former friends (and family) who cannot come to civil terms, families feuding for lack of understanding, compassion is the last to be shared by those involved or by the trippers. I am truly saddened by the many events of this year; the loss of my grandfather, the deterioration of the relationship with my sister (which if you know me and my blog, I have always shared such a special love for her), the deterioration of my friend and her sisters relationship, friends driving knives deeper and deeper, people being petty, not wanting to eat crow, swallow pride for the sake of humility, maybe even an ounce of humanity, compassion. No one has to be the best of friends, but a bit of human compassion could be called upon, only more pain is what remains.

I leave you with the lyrics to this song that resonated such powerful emotions within me, also my farewell into the New Year as I reflect on the year that was, the year to come, and my hope for this holiday is that the ugly line to fade and people start crossing the lines into humanity, compassion, empathy.

Our blogs are not news, we are people, ALL of us. We all have a heart, a soul, we all feel at some level.
Lightning strikes
Inside, my chest to keep me up at night
Dream of ways
To make you understand my pain

Clouds of sulfur in the air
Bombs are falling everywhere
It’s heartbreak warfare
Once you want it to begin,
No one really ever wins
In heartbreak warfare

If you want more love,
why don’t you say so?
If you want more love,
why don’t you say so?

Drop his name
Push it in and twist the knife again
Watch my face
As I pretend to feel no pain

Clouds of sulfur in the air
Bombs are falling everywhere
It’s heartbreak warfare
Once you want it to begin,
No one really ever wins
In heartbreak warfare.

If you want more love,
why don’t you say so?
If you want more love,
why don’t you say so?

Just say so…

How come the only way to know how high you get me
is to see how far I fall
God only knows how much I’d love you if you let me
but I can’t break through at all.

It’s a heartbreak…

I don’t care if we don’t sleep at all tonight
Let’s just fix this whole thing now
I swear to God we’re gonna get it right
If you lay your weapon down
Red wine and Ambien
You’re talking shit again, it’s heartbreak warfare
Good to know it’s all a game
Disappointment has a name, it’s heartbreak warfare.

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Stocking Stuffer Fun with Softlips

Are you stumped for the last minute stocking stuffer ideas well look no further since these ideas cover you literally from head to…bum?

Do you recall your parents protecting you from the elements each year by stuffing Chapstick into your stocking? Okay, so maybe my nurse of a mom was the only woman to give Chapstick and Lifesavers. But boot the Chapstick, really, when you get the fabulous feeling and oh so chic look and feel of Softlips lip conditioner.

Why Softlips? Well why not? The packaging is super friendly and with the duo packs you cannot go wrong. They slip ever so discretely in your stocking, purse, or pocket. Above all Softlips lip conditioner keeps your lips moisturized, soft, conditioned, and has a SPF20 for really fighting the elements. Softlips has a limited edition winter flavor duo pack in the following flavors:

  • Sugar and Spice
  • Vanilla and Mint
  • Sugar Plum Berry
  • Sugar Cookie

The Softlips packs retail for $2.99 to $3.99 for the duo pack and they are available at your local Walgreens and Target stores. Hurry though if you or your family love Softlips as these flavors are only available for a limited time.

If you are on Facebook you can fan Softlips and get all their updates on new flavors, offerings, giveaways, and more! However, since you are reading all about Softlips as a fabulous gift idea on my blog, read on to find out how to enter to win THE SET of Softlips winter flavors!

Now this part of the stocking stuffer I had a ton of fun reviewing while I know a lot of my blog friends and “The Chad” were laughing and skeptical.

In the summers of Arizona we have what you may call “swamp ass” or “swamp crotch” and the feeling is not so fresh or friendly. I mean what else do you do? The wonderful folks of Anti Monkey Butt solve this problem. HANDS DOWN! Seriously, you think I am kidding? I am not afraid to say that I hate the rubbing, sweaty feeling of my inner thighs, or ladies…the sweaty bust? You know what I mean. Laugh it up chuckles! Here is the low down:

Anti Monkey Butt Powder is a new product, invented by motocross riders, designed to treat friction and irritation that can result from excess sweat. Excessive sweat can cause irritation of the buttocks and inner thighs, also known as “monkey butt”. Unlike other powders, Anti Monkey Butt has calamine and talc which gives it a cooling sensation instead of the burning that you might get from other products. Anybody who has used those other powders will know what “the burning” is we are referring to. [RobinLeedyAssoc, 2009]

Lady Anti Monkey Butt is fabulous and really silky smooth. I really was a bit embarrassed to open and try but heck, I am all about trying products, what can they hurt? So I was PLEASANTLY satisfied at the feeling, smell, and sensation of feeling dry. I am a jogger so this was fabulous for me, I truly do not like the icky feeling. The ingredients are ever so simple too, corn starch, calamine, and talc. Sweet! “Butt” hey, Anti Monkey Butt was originally for men and they have the great ladies edition in pink! So while you are still laughing, grab your composure to enter this great giveaway for these fantastic items because ONE winner will receive both Anti Monkey Butt and Lady Anti Monkey Butt.

Here are the deets for these giveaways to stuff your stockings (though these will be a bit late for Christmas, I apologize for the delay in posting):

Mandatory Entry: Let me know which product you want and why? Aside from the information I told you above.

Extra Entries: Follow my blog, enter my other giveaways, follow me on Twitter, tweet this giveaway (daily RT’s available), blog this giveaway with a link back to me (worth 5 entries), Fan The Fish on Facebook, Fan Softlips if you want Softlips, Fan Monkey Butt if you want Monkey Butt

CONTEST ENDS DECEMBER 23RD
@ 11:59PM ARIZONA TIME
*The Five Fish did receive products in conjunction with the post,
however, my opinion was not swayed in any manner
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Unilever Beauty Products Giveaway

Do you recall the beauty tip of the day? Where some wonderful tips were posted on keeping fresh looks, beauty tips, tricks, and even some fabulous new ideas? Well I am ever so thankful and grateful to bring you this post of the wonderful products that were reviewed and now presented in a giveaway! I shared with you my post on my beauty tips using these products and now I am able to share with you the ones I enjoyed using the most and I will share an assortment pack (much like the one I received) for you to receive as well.

The Unilever assortment of products ranges from Ponds cleansing cloths, Dove deodorant (in a smashingly fresh smell which is now my favorite!), Dove hair care, Vaseline and QTips to name a few. These wonderful products can be used daily as part of your beauty regiment or as needed.

I have to confess that my favorites are the deodorant in the fresh citrus, the QTips and the cleansing cloths that I use ALL the time for removing makeup in my daily and nightly routine. The Vaseline is fabulous for removing sometimes stingy eye makeup and even for moisturizing the rough areas like knees or elbows. I also like to use on the twins bums as they need a little TLC from time to time. The QTips are fabulous because they are the vanity pack with the slide box. They fit snugly and perfectly on your counter-top for easy access and use. Now win an assortment pack of Unilever products, beauty, hair, and all health!

Mandatory entry: Tell me what your beauty regimen is and what products (even Unilever products) you like to use in addition to the products mentioned above.

Extra Entries: Follow my blog, follow me on Twitter, Fan The Fish, Tweet this giveaway with @KariewithaK so I can track your tweets (to be fair, and can tweet daily, enter one of my other current giveaways, blog about this giveaway (worth 3 entries)

CONTEST ENDS DECEMBER 23RD
@ 11:59 ARIZONA TIME.
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Perfection Is as Perfection Does

I was asked once, “Karie, is your house, life, everything always this perfect?”
I pondered for less than a millisecond, and the answer I blurted out, “No.”
LIES!
I took a step back recently, I pretended I was an outsider to my own home, looking in as if a stranger or newcomer into my home and life. What I saw was pretty amusing…at least for me…quite amusing because I truly carry the ultimate facade of She Can Do No Wrong.

The Facts:

  1. I Shower DAILY….sometimes twice DAILY because any stench of ick makes me want to puke.
  2. I do truly smell and shit roses because you could never tell anyone had dropped a load of feces in the porcelain god because my toilet is truly white and pristine. ALWAYS.
  3. I always have candles a flame….a lovely ambiance and the smell is relaxing.
  4. I rarely leave the house without makeup, if I do, I had better look fabulous.
  5. My hair is always done, whether I re-brush and use a straight iron to eliminate the JBF I still have fabulous hair.
  6. Even my “grungy” clothes, the ones I consider to be a t-shirt and jeans….FABULOUS. A slim fitting Calvin Klein tee and bella Dahl jeans.
  7. My bathroom NEVER, EVER looks like a truck stop restroom, nor does it look like Chewbaca visited. I cringe when I see other “normal” bathrooms like that. Seriously, I don’t even have toothpaste spatters.
  8. My kitchen is as sterile as an operating room. Every inch is cleaned RELIGIOUSLY, even while cooking my counters are free of debris, spatters, dishes, etc. In fact, all of my cookware is washed immediately AFTER use to avoid the nastiness that will sit overnight.
  9. Seriously I think anyone who celebrates Passover would be happy to know my home is ALWAYS free of crumbs, dog hair, dust, like I said, RELIGIOUS about my cleanliness.
  10. My yard….pretty pristine. Now the party in the back is not so much with the doggie land mines and all. I am not a fan of picking up hot steamers….so thankful for the warm Arizona sun to dry them out for easy scooping.
  11. The bed….made daily. You would think I had a housekeeping service because my sheets are taut, wrinkle free, and the bed is always made….even with useless decorative pillows and shams. That’s how I roll.
  12. The playroom. The one room in the house that should always be a disaster, riddled with toys abound….fail whale…they are all put away. Even the stuffed animals are arranged.
  13. My bookshelf…as I said….color coded and arranged by genre; so my bookshelf looks like a cascading rainbow of literary spines from self-help to my corporate finance text’s to science fiction and fantasy. My bookshelves are truly a masterpiece.
  14. The art work. Oh me or my….my artwork is even arranged in such a manner. Almost alphabetical the way they run through my home. From Kadinsky to Picaso to Van Gogh, plus some private label art. I am a lover of the fine arts and their placement in my home.
  15. My towels are neatly and evenly hung in the bathroom along with hand towels, tip towels, and a beautiful bar of hand soap. My wash cloths are also neatly placed in my shower caddy tower arranged in a rainbow for easy access to a new washcloth for using.

Truly I think you get the picture of my “perfection” which is sad. I truly try to let my house go, I try HARD, really HARD to not work so hard at keeping a good house. I truly try hard to not let my compulsion take over. Some call it a disorder, but really…I find a lot of order to my “disorder,” albeit a method to my madness. Take a good look:

Okay…I lied a little…I left Little Bitty’s shoes on the island and my water bottle as I took these photos.
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Graine de Vie SEED Body Care & Giveaway

Some of you may know I am very particular about my body care. I truly like products that I can read and understand the name of the ingredients, not some laboratory name that requires a kindergarten phonetic to pronounce the words. I recently had the opportunity to review SEED Body Care courtesy of Buzz Cooperative.

Graine de Vie SEED Body Care is co-founded by Rebecca Gournay in an effort to find a detoxifying and healthy alternative lifestyle when she was on her quest to conceive a child. During her research she and her husband began discussing the health benefits of wine and of course grape seeds. One day Rebecca came upon a spa product made with grape seed and the rest is history. Grape seed is packed with powerful antioxidants, Vitamin E, and beneficial essential fatty acids, ingredients shown to promote healthy skin and help prevent premature aging.

The full size products I reviewed were the grape seed enriched conditioning hair shampoo bar, grape seed enriched moisturizing body soap and the grape seed enriched moisturizing body lotion. When I received the products I immediately tore into all of them, I wanted to know how they smelled. I have a thing for the way items smell. I was in heaven. The body soap and lotion each have a wonderful citrus scent, very true to the smell of grape seed oil and or grapefruit. The shampoo bar had a tinge of scent even though it was the unscented bar.

I showered with each of the cleansing products and overall here is how they stacked up for me:

Shampoo Bar
I can honestly say that I was overly excited about the shampoo bar until I finished using it the first time. My hair felt almost stripped and very unmanageable. I chalked up the results as just the products initial use and that after styling and drying my hair would be easier to manage. I was highly disappointed that the result was not to my liking and my hair still felt brittle, dry, unmanageable, and I quite literally had an afro after the initial use. I even made sure to use when I was on my four day stretch of no wash days to ensure maximum results. I firmly believe in washing your hair only once or twice a week, so I was disappointed. However, the shampoo bar is wonderful for my son and husband who each have very short hair. I will say that the lather and bubbly are fantastic, a smooth creamy lather and not too bubbly but enough for my personal liking. The conditioning quality was less than I had expected, but again, could be the product was not jiving with my hair as I have very fine, thick, dry hair.

Body Bar
I love the body bar and the exfoliating seeds. I quite literally used this bar until only a smidge was left. Again the creamy, bubbly, and lather are excellent, but the bar is a bit drying. I noticed the primary ingredient is sodium palmate and sodium cocoate which is a palm and coconut based oil which tends to be on the drying side however, palm is EXCELLENT for lather and cleansing and coconut is excellent for creating a nice hard bar of soap. So all in all I felt wonderfully clean but a bit dry.

Body Lotion
Now, the lotion is F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!!! I love the smooth, creamy, almost silky feel to the lotion. Very nice when applied after the use of the body bar, they definitely compliment one another if your skin is a bit on the dry side after use. The fragrance is a light citrus, invigorating, awakens your sense of smell and is just a wonderful feeling on your skin.

All of the SEED Body Care products are paraben free, preservative free, and contain no artificial colors or animal products, a truly vegan experience.

You now have the opportunity to experience SEED for yourself here is how:

Mandatory entry:
Go to the SEED website and tell me which products you would like to try because you are getting THREE full size products to win yourself!

 Extra entries:

  • Fan SEED on Facebook
  • Fan The Fish on Facebook (to your right)
  • Follow my blog and tell me you do (again, stage right)
  • Follow me on Twitter, tell me you do
  • Tweet this giveaway using @KariewithaK & #seedbody so I can see your Tweets and give you credit
CONTEST ENDS DECEMBER 17TH 
@ 3:00PM ARIZONA TIME. 
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Introducing Bare Skin

How many of you are familiar with Leslie Blodgett? Okay better yet how many are familiar with the now house hold name, mineral make-up of Bare Escentuals? That is more like it as I see your virtual head nods.

Well since Leslie has become synonymous as a household name in beauty she is at her finest again with the creation of a limited edition fragrance available only at Sephora. The Leslie Blodgett Perfume diaries was inspired by Leslie’s own pivotal life experiences that she has chronicled in a journal since she was a young girl.

Her first fragrance in the line is Bare Skin, which was released in October. I received a sample of the fragrance to review and I tell you the scent is intoxicating. I am a HUGE fanatic about perfume and have very distinct tastes; Ralph Lauren – Lauren, Glamorous, Carolina Herrerra, Michael Kors – Black, Chanel No. 5, I like gentle scents that emit feeling, that fit my personality, that create a mood and Bare Skin is a personality fragrance that suits my relaxing spirit, is feminine without too much musk or sandalwood.

The scent has hits of tropical notes that are complimented by the sandalwood (if I am smelling correctly), a hint of vanilla, a fragrance that takes me to a place where I feel warm, sensuous, and very feminine.

Leslie confirms my personal opinion by stating that “When I have an experience, I like to have a scent behind it. Bare Skin, which is what Mexico reminds me of, is the way you feel when the sun is beating down on you during the day, but then you go out at night and you’re still sizzling from the warmth of the day which mingles with the night air and the music.”  (Leslie Blodgett Perfume Diaries, 2009)

The perfumer who worked with Leslie and concocted Bare Skin says “Glowing, sun-kissed skin has the power to turn heads. I wanted to recreate that attractive force with notes that draw you in: creamy sensuality, caressing florals and uninhibited musk” (Leslie Blodgett Perfume Diaries, 2009).

Now where can you get a hold of Bare Skin? Exclusively at Sephora and Sephora.com, Bare Skin is available in a variety of fragrance offerings with the Eau de parfum (perfume), perfume compact, and body cream.
The parfum retails for $30-$55 per bottle, the perfume compact retails for $35 and the body cream retails for $30. You can buy the entire collection for $100 and bask in the warm scent of Bare Skin.

Are you a huge fan of Leslie’s too? Be sure to Fan her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter and keep an eye out for more of Leslie’s beautiful creations.

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Spice Up Date Night Eden Fantasy’s Flower Balm

Who says Christmas is just for kids and kids “toys?” Eden Fantasy’s is a great way to share with the one you love by warming up those cold winter nights, afternoons, and everything in between.

Eden Fantasy’s is chock full of wonderful gifts such as vibrators, sex toys, love games, adult toys and even lingerie to get in the “ho, ho, ho” mood of the season. But the giving doesn’t have to end there. Enhance these gifts with wonderful stocking stuffers such as the Flower Balm.

I enjoyed the Flower Balm from Eden Fantasy’s for review because it is mostly vegan, is silky smooth to apply all over as a massage balm and smells heavenly. For the ultimate in pleasure and sensation be sure, or have your partner be sure, to apply to your “flower” for a truly decadent gift of pleasure.

A truly unique and arousing experience upon using the flower balm and this stocking stuffer idea is sure to have you wishing you were a naughty girl all year. The Flower Balm generates a warm, tingling sensation that heightens your arousal and stimulates your “flower” area by increasing blood flow.
The scent is very subtle, refreshing, relaxing and can be enjoyed as just a light body balm with the smell of mandarin and mint.

A perfect stocking stuffer where the packaging is no larger than the size of a jewelry gift box and is tastefully decorated so as not to offend the “virgin” eyes. Stockings may not all you will be stuffing with love this year so be sure to add Eden Fantasy’s to your list of loving gifts for her and for him to share with her.

Want to enjoy Eden Fantasy’s for yourself with your loved one? Here is how you can enter to win a $25 Eden Fantasy’s Gift Card to shop for your love and desire this holiday season:


Mandatory Entry:
Visit Eden Fantasy’s and come tell me what gift you would like to see erect under your tree. (Please leave me your email address too so I may contact you for your winnings. If you have a blogger account, please make your profile public for access to your email address.)

Extra Entries:

  • Follow @EdenFantasys on Twitter for new product updates, great articles, featurettes.
  • Follow my blog
  • Fan The Fish on Facebook
  • Blog this giveaway with a link to The Five Fish
  • Follow me on Twitter
  • Tweet this giveaway (daily RT’s allowed) Baby its cold outside but I’m keeping hot with this giveaway from @EdenFantasys and @KariewithaK http://tiny.cc/7ciUB
CONTEST ENDS DECEMBER 13TH
@ 11:59PM ARIZONA TIME
Best of luck!