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Hello again lovelies! I promise you all I haven't been slacking - I've been having problems with uploading photos to blogger. Again. This time I would upload my photos, only to have them show up here as big black squares. The problem seems to be resolving itself a bit, but this morning I had to upload the first photo 4 times to get it to show - the first 3 times I got the black squares, the 4th was finally the actual photo. Still aggravating but at least I can get them to upload at some point now. Have any of you had problems uploading to blogger? Is there a fix or workaround?
In KLK news, My mother is doing so much better. I am so thankful to her team of doctors and nurses for finding those blood clots (3 in all - the one in her lung, and one in each of her legs). We though that it was the cancer raging in her lungs and the chemo that was making her so lifeless, when in reality almost all of her symptoms could be attributed to those evil clots. Her body was shutting down on her, trying to keep her vital organs going and sacrificing everything else. Once the clots were broken up and her clotting factors restored to normal (I was giving her an injection twice daily for awhile there), she was back to her feisty self. Although, some things have changed. With all of us. All of those petty things that we butted heads about or spent days stressing over are gone. I think had they found the clots earlier, it may not have scared us so badly. But since my father literally could not get my mother up off the bed (she literally could not move of her own will, nonetheless stand) and she was kind of zombie-fied, it terrified us all. My father said that it was the scariest moment of his life- even worse than when he served in Vietnam. Terrifying time, but it really has enlightened us all. Life is too short and too precious to dwell on superficial crap. Mom has another round of chemo starting today, and since her lungs are fairly clear at the moment they've added in another chemo drug, so we have no idea how this will effect her. So far she has held up well, even though she does get rather sick around 2-3 days after chemo. I hate seeing her sick, but I know that it's attacking those *insert string of horrible expletives here* cancer cells. I know that eventually the cancer will win, but my mom is a fighter. I just know that if anyone can beat the odds, its her. And honestly? I know so many of you have sent healing thoughts and energy, or prayers - whatever you all believe in...and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I have never even spoken with some of you, yet you reached out to me and offered support. This community is truly amazing, and you guys, every last one of you, are just amazing people. I'd reach out and hug you all if I could. :)
One last thing - I'm going to be a Great-Aunt!! My oldest niece, who has always been special as all get out to me, even though she may not realize it, is pregnant. Her and her Husband (who is also freakin' awesome and the only guy I have ever truly approved of her being with) are expecting their first baby in December. She told us at a BBQ this weekend, making litte bracelets with our relation to the baby on them (mine said "Great Aunt Kim", my mom's "Great Nana"), and gave them to us in little boxes. They had us open them all at the same time, letting us read them and figure it out. Sneaky, no? We call her our little Marth Stewarts - she's crafty! Anyway, we were all incredibly surprised since she is 3 months pregnant and managed to keep it from us for so long (alot going on - she wanted to wait for the right time and to make sure everything was okay with the baby)! I am over the moon for her, and I have a literal ton of pricey baby things that are almost brand new that I can pass on to her. And a Xmas baby! It will be wonderful to not only have Xmas with my mother, but with my Niece and Nephew-In-Law's (is that right? Oh well!) new little one. They are a wonderful couple- just perfect for each other - and I know they are going to be amazing parents. :)
Anyway, I do have some polish posts coming up, but since my nails are so short and my hands are angry at the moment, Im mixing in some mainstream stuff with the indies since I want to do my indies justice. I've been working on landscaping my entire backyard since we took out the redwood deck that spanned the entire yard last summer and it's been nothing but dirt ever since. Not a good thing in the New Mexico Spring/Summer season since it gets very windy. My allergies don't play well with flying dust. I;m also re-doing my front garden, helping my mom out and spending time with her, and dropped a tv on my right hand (don't ask!). It's been a loooong week! So now I'm nursing my hands back to happiness and constantly wearing gloves, which I can't stand. I don't like my hands being hot, and I inevitably manage to get water down into my gloves anyway, but I figure it's better than the cuts from my new rose bushes, soil and compost under my nails, and tearing my skin and cuticles while digging out thorny weeds.
This morning I have a Non-Polish Related Post for you all, but it's one that I know alot of you can appreciate. I
f you saw this post, you're already familiar with Savory Scents candles. If not, you really should check it out, and then go take a peak at the Savory Scents Shop on Etsy. I have always loved candles, but I am incredibly picky about them. I like scents that can fill my home, yet aren't overpowering or perfumy. Normally I stick with Vanilla, even though I adore other scents, since it's always a yummy smell and never perfumy or heavy. I've found a few candles in other scents that I could tolerate, but I have to be honest - no matter how much I love candles I cannot justify spending around $20 on a single candle, no matter how long it will burn (unless it's really large and a great value, but I think you all know what I mean.).
Enter Savory Scents Candles. I first tried these lovely candles back in February when Crystal sent me
Cotton Candy and Pumpkin Souffle to review for you loves. I was in the love from the moment I opened them, and when I burned them? I was so impressed. They were both heavenly, filling my entire house with scent, yet not heavily perfumed or overpowering. The scent was obvious - you could tell what it was the moment you entered my home, yet not one person said that it was overbearing or heavy. I still burn those candles to this day (yep! Months later those 4 oz candles are still going, although they're both very low. Time to re-stock!).
This time around Crystal sent me a brand new scent to try out, called
Bittersweet 'Boo. This candle is incredible, folks! It's a seriously awesome blend of Grapefruit, Citrus and Bamboo that is one of the most uplifting scents I have ever smelled. The first time I burned this, I was in a very heavy place, with my mother's recent diagnosis looking over me. The smell of this candle, however, was like instant and powerful aromatherapy, lifting my spirits and leaving me with a pleasant, warm fuzzy feeling. Just like Cotton Candy and Pumpkin Souffle, I could smell Bittersweet 'Boos lovely aroma all the way across my house, even though the candle was burning in my polish corner in the kitchen. My house is about 1700 sq feet (not huge, but it sprawls), so being able to smell this all the way in my laundry room, which is the furthest point from where I burn this candle, is impressive indeed.
I have to say, Bittersweet 'Boo has fast become my very favorite scent, even topping my all time favorite of anything vanilla. I wish that blogger had a scratch and sniff feature so that you could smell this candle - it's just heavenly. It's a wonderful light, kind of tropical smell that reminds me a bit of rainforest, with lovely hints of citrus. The citrus is not overpowering, but beautifully blended with the sweet bamboo scent. It never fails to improve my mood and allow me to relax, which is very hard these days considering all that I have going on at the moment.
Not only does this candle smell just incredible (seriously, I cannot rave about it enough - it blows my mind just how awesome this candle smells!), but it burns beautifully. The wax (Soy wax) melts evenly every time and settles right back into into shape after cooling. They don't burn blazingly hot, which is a plus if you're a klutz like me and tend to inadvertently drip wax onto yourself. I've also dripped onto the carpet while moving this candle (again, klutz ) and the wax lifted right off after cooling. Always a bonus! The wick is impressive as well, burning steadily and not a hint of fraying when trimmed. It's also damned pretty.
Honestly I would expect a candle this awesome to be very pricey. I've paid upwards of $22 for candles that don't smell half as wonderful and don't burn nearly as well. A 4 oz Bittersweet 'Boo candle? $5! WOOHOO! Lemme tell you guys, as soon as this snafu with my bank card being stolen (long story, but some cretin stole my bank card right out of my pocket at Albertson's last week), I am stocking up. I'll be giving these as gifts, as well as buying some for myself.
Crystal has created all sorts of wonderful scents as well. Obviously I highly recommend Bittersweet 'Boo, but Cotton Candy and Pumpkin Souffle are both amazing scents as well. I'll definitely be ordering "Hey Sexy Lady" (which sis reminiscent of the drink "Sex on the beach") and Dragon's Blood. And who can pass up a candle called Monkey Farts (vanilla with strawberry, kiwi, bubblegum, grapefruit and banana)!?! Crystal also has some very awesome polishes as well as air fresheners, dead sea bath salts, and some really gorgeous handmade jewelry.
You can check out
Savory Scents at Crazy2Love on Etsy. Candle pricing depends on size with 2 oz candles running $2.25, 4 oz $5.00, and 8oz for $8.50. YOu can also grab the super awesome 16oz Mermaid's Blood candle, a collaboration with one of my fave girls, Ketlyn from
BG Cosmetics, for $14. If you love candles, you do not want to miss out on Savory Scents, loves. Coming from someone with incredibly sensitive nasal passages and sinuses, horrible allergies to a lot of fragrances and oils, well let's just say I wouldn't rave about candles lightly. Savory Scents has blown my mind and I will be ordering my candles exclusively from Crystal.
Have you tried Savory Scents yet? Are you a candle fanatic like I am?
I'll be back (I promise this time!) with one of the new Sally Hansen Sugar Coat polishes later today, as well as some Fuzzy Coat and more Sugar Coats during the week. I'll have more awesome Indies coming up after Wednesday as well so stay tuned. And as usual, thank you all so much for your support and patience lately. It has meant to the world to me. I cannot tell you how stressful it has been to even begin to process my mother's cancer, and the Pulmonary Embolism that almost killed her 2 weeks ago (and my new found insomnia. Still averaging maybe 3 hours of sleep a day). I know I've been all over the place, but it's incredibly hard to reconcile that despite the fact that she has improved so much, this cancer will take her from me. I'm spending a ton of time with her since I know that this time is all that I have, and I have to make the most of it. I feel horrible about blogging less, and being so far behind, but I know that you all understand. So again, thank you. You guys are the best and just having you here means the world to me.
Thanks for stopping by and Happy Scents to you all!
-Kimber
*Product(s) Featured provided for review. Please see Disclaimer/Legal Page for more information** Press Sample
