Lush Kalamazoo Review

I went into Lush armed with a gift card, my 'leave me alone face' to ward of the super eager all over me staff and looking for some new to me treats. My skin has been freaking out this summer, I get these bumps - not acne more like blisters and I blame the heat. Everything feels to harsh or drying even on my normal-oily skin.
So I saw Kalamazoo and though it was dubbed a beard wash it said it could be used as a face wash as well. The creamy texture, the you know it comes from Lush clean-herbal scent and the newness factor had me buy a tub. I have been using it for about a week and really like it. I notice my dry patches are not so bad, inflamed areas less inflamed and it is gentle enough to remove the stubborn black trails my mascara leaves down my cheeks after getting some sleep.
Kalamazoo is packed with gentle cleaning stuff like almond oil and grime busters like citrus oils. If you like a cold cream type texture for your face you should give this a spin. I bought the small $9.99 size but will splurge on a bigger size next time to share with the beardless but sensitive skin boyfriend.

Faux Entomology - DIY Creepy Home Displays

I recently bought a bag of plastic beetles in hopes of getting to do something crafty with them. In the past I made beetle jewelry and this time around I put one aside for that but I wanted to try something new.
I had a bunch of small frames I bought for another project that never happened - you know how that goes right? The frames are the perfect size to showcase my new plastic beetle collection.
I cut out the plastic protective covering with an craft knife - it is in place of the glass. I used the photo template to trace some random scraps of paper I had in my paper pile to fit the frame. I glued the paper onto the cardboard backing and secured it in place. I then used a heavy duty glue to attach the bugs - my first go around was using a glue gun and the bugs dropped off. I let them dry and they are ready to hang gallery style or perched on an end table.Creepy perfection with a cute kick!

Turning 36

The last weekend in June I celebrated turning 36 with lots of fun and vegan food! My birthdays usually depresses me, I  feel really sad as I turn to June in my calendar. This gloomy feeling has not failed me for the last few years.

Matt wanted me to cheer up so what better way than celebrating my weekend with my childhood pal Hello Kitty. We headed off to Sacramento for the day and after sharing a burrito from Whole Foods we headed to the Sleep Train Arena to have some fun. Hello Kitty Supercute Friendship festival was a blast - full of activity, photos and fun.

We stopped for cupcakes and a muffin at Pushkin's. I got the toasted coconut - I love the crunchy bits of coconut on the top.

We stumbled upon the Catholic cemetery just as the guard was making his rounds and told us to get out. I have to go back - there were some gems here!

We can never go to Sacramento and not have dinner at El Papagayo. I cannot stress how good the food is or how awesome the owners and staff are to us. Everyone is friendly and it makes going back every time a treat. I got my taco salad with 1/2 tofu and 1/2 squash - squash scream summer right?

I have so many vegan cookbooks I stopped buying them. I was not using them enough and feet guilty. Matt bought me a few as gifts that I have made a promise to use them all this July with at least one recipe a week! I hope this encourages me to dust off some of my other cookbooks and use them.

So turning 36 has not been so bad. This summer heat is not doing me any favors but my plate is full and I will work on bettering myself/my mood/and the things around me as the heat burns on.

Zine Stuff

 

Cherokee Memorial Park - Lodi, CA 

I am working on Cemetery Gates issue 2 right now. I am setting up the page layout, trying to pick what photos I liked most from the last few months and work with the stuff submitted to me. I am thinking a mid to late July release will happen. I have a special tuck in being made that goes with each issue.

I just listed The Stay At Home Girlfriend #17. It came out just int time for my birthday this weekend. Inside you will find the usual: vegan recipes, cat talk, mental health trials/triumphs. There is a lot that goes into each issue of this zine. I look at older issues and see how far I have come - a good thing!

CATS!!!!!

 

I was lucky to snap this photo of Mady and Mortis  - usually when I am making the bed they get on the bed and fall right to sleep. Especially on days when I wash the linen - it may take hours for me to actually make the bed because they love the sheets so much. Sure I could move them butttttt..............no!

While I consider Mortis to be a big cat I look at this picture and just think he looks so small. He is not small though - he is a big puff ball of fur. Mady and him are getting along - sometimes he is a bit rough but I know he loves his little sister. They are always together and playing hide and seek.

I Love Tutti Frutti!

The heat is on - literally one can step outside their front door in the Central Valley and turn into a pile of goo. When you need to cool off seriously head over to a Tutti Frutti - you know how much I love the vegan soy frozen yogurt by now.
Over the weekend I tried the Stockton location (5756 Pacific Ave # 12) - previously I had only been to the East Bay locations. The Stockton location was super clean and had a large assortment of toppings including loads of fresh fruit (seriously when we arrived someone was filling up the strawberries from a huge bucket), whole Oreo cookies and a lot of Asian toppings like boba pearls and lychee fruit (I did not try any because I wanted all the berries!). My cup was under $4 and so worth the price!
I wish Modesto would get a Tutti Frutti - until then when I am out of town I will be grabbing Tutti Frutti whenever I see one pop up! From the kawaii smiling fruit people that grace the store on posters to the fresh fruit toppings I love walking into a location and feeling happy. Thanks Tutti Frutti for the soy option - if only more frozen yogurt places offered vegan options vegans would be a lot happier - especially on hot summer days!

Getting Back Into The Swing Of Things

Many of you know how sick I was for the last few weeks. I had a really nasty flu bug in my system that wiped me out. Even past the contagious point I was still feeling weak and could not eat normally. Last Friday we started feeling better (yes boyfriend was sick to - he brought the bug home!) so we decided to head out to the East Bay to eat and enjoy fresh air.

We started it off right eating lunch at Flacos. I always go for the hurrache. Look at all the pretty radish slices!

Moon pie (gluten free to boot) via Timeless Coffee Roasters - since I have been sick coffee tastes bad to me, but I did order an almond milk latte to go with my treat.

I had to walk around the area and shop before leaving. I had to treat myself to some soy fro-yo via Tutti Frutti - refreshing and tasty with fresh berries!

All the sweet fuel pumped me up for cemetery exploring in Mountain View. I have been on a purple lipstick mood - this is Too Faced Melted Metal in Jelly - 100% vegan and cruelty free! The family in this section all had stones that were laying down. I am not sure why but they were all older.

Best part of the cemetery trip DEER!!!!! Look at this fawn! The baby was with the mama and we saw the dad down by the river. It was so awesome!

We ended the night at Zachery's. We got our usual - vegan deep dish with zucchini and jalapenos. It was so good. I kept thinking of pizza and wanting to eat it as soon as I got better.

 

So we never get sick again - never ever I have been blessing this house like crazy - and washing all the surfaces we touched!  

I hope everyone is doing well and remember wash your hands and stay away from germs. Being sick with the flu is no joke!