All Natural Product Reviews

I have been reading over some product reviews except I really don't find many reviews for natural products. So I think I am going to start doing some product reviews. I am going to make a star rating system for now.

1-* Would not use again probably will not finish what I purchased.

2-**Would not purchase again but might finish it just because its all natural and it is greener to finish it then toss it is the garbage. plus there is a little that I like about the product.
3-*** Might purchase again but the is a couple of things that bother me about the product. But it isn't that bad.
4-**** Would buy again but there is something I find a little off. Just something small that I can be picky about. Such as an ingredient or fragrance.
5-***** Great. I love it. It is one of the best products I have ever tried.

I will probably change these to be more veggie cute later but this is just the new quick work up of star ratings.

*****Kiss My Face obsessively natural Chinese Botanical Lotion $10.99 per16oz: I really love this lotion. Normally I purchase lotion and never use it. I am happy to say I have found a natural lotion that I love the smell of and can be proud to wear it because I know it has not been tested on animals and contains no animal ingredients. So it smells great, makes my skin feel smooth and awesome and I am proud to use it. It is a little high in price but for this product that gives me a piece of mind that ok with me. It does have a list of around 39 ingredients. Which is a little long but at least they are all natural and most are plant extracts. It is really nice to that most of the ingredients list has its origin list beside it. My skin is very dry this winter and it has really made my skin very smooth again which is of course great. The product is 100% biodegradable and the bottle is also recyclable as a plastic type 1.

**** (4 stars)Alba Terra Gloss Shimmering Natural Color 5.99 .42oz : This product is similar in flavor to the conventional lip gloss which I am really not a fan of. The color BLOOM which I picked out is really nice. It does moisturize my lips and sticks around for a little while. So if you don't mind re applying every so often it good. I don't mind. The color does stick around for a little while after the gloss goes away. I would say you would need to reapply (depending of what you are doing) around every 2 or 3 hours which isn't bad. This product does include beeswax. So it is not vegan. But I do feel alot better using it just because it is an all natural company. This product also contains tocopheryl acetate which protects from the suns UV Rays. But lists natural flavor which annoys me because you don't know exactly what is in it. The last thing is I'm not sure how I feel about the silica ( which most natural and conventional products include) because of health and mineral mining issues. ( If anyone has any info on that throw it my way please. Thanks

**Burts Bees Lifeguard's Choice Lip Balm 2.99 .15oz: This product I really loved till I read the ingredients list. Which contains lanolin ( Secreted from the skin of wool animals). I don't use wool and I don't intend on buying this product in the future. Before I noticed the the Lanolin I really liked it. The one thing that was a little strange about it was that it kinda turns your lips a white cool. Which really didn't bother me. This product reminded me of the chap stick my parents used while I was growing up that came in a little round container that you dab your finger in and apply it to your lips. The BB Lip balm is in a tube made out of 50% post industrial recycled plastic which is very nice but it does not have a recyclable triangle. But it still gives you that tingle on your lips when you first put it on ( I liked that). This product is not tested on animals.


**** Alba Moisturizing Cream Shave Mango Vanilla 8fl oz: I love this product. It makes my legs silky smooth after shaving. It smells really great and the smell sticks around until the next day. It is a great moisturizer. I never have any nicks, cuts, or irritation. My legs used to itch a little after shaving and with this shave lotion they do not. The only questionable ingredient to me is Sodium Hydroxide (also known as lye) it is found in things like oven cleaner, cleaning detergents, & drain cleaners. The other products come from more natural sources most plant extracts. This product is 100% vegetarian & not tested on animals. It is also packaged in a recyclable container. (4 Stars)

6 years Together w/ a Pittsburg, Carnegie & Whole Foods trip

This picture is of Pittsburgh right as you exit the Pitt tunnel.

We have been planning on going to Pittsburgh since mid summer last year. This is really sad considering we only live about 2 and a half or 3 hours away. Any ways I wanted to go see the Bodies exhibit at Carnegie which was amazing. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience. I have to admit it was a strange feeling walking in to an exhibit that has real human bodies. But the learning experience was amazing. The one thing that I didn't really think would be in the exhibit was fetuses. When I discovered they were it was a really different feeling but I still decided to go through. It turned out to be the most interesting part to me. To see a fetus at the different stages of their development was sad because they were all gone but at the same time an experience that I can not put into words. There were fetuses that showed bone structure from I think 9 weeks to 17 weeks. In 2 week increments. You see pictures on tv and in text books of babies with webbed hands and toes but to see the smallest tiniest finger bones totally developed in the 9 week old fetus it was indescribable to me. There was also fetuses from week 1 and up ( I'm not sure how far) there was 6 I think. I have always known life was amazing but after seeing the different stages of fetal growth it is more amazing to me than ever. The whole exhibit was ... WOW. I might have to get "J" to go back again. To see and read all of the information all at once makes it hard to put it all together. I also went to The Strip for some produce shopping and for some spices. Then we went to the Whole foods store which I love. We don't have one here in WV so anytime we have the chance to go to one I stock up on everything I need. But I really didn't get much this time. I should have stocked up on a little more. We seemed to get stuff like lotion, lip gloss, Shave lotion, & soy protein powder instead of food. But were we live you really can't buy Kiss my face lotions & Alba products. There is actually no store that I know of around me that sales Alba at all. So... Anyways I love Whole foods I think I could live there. But we did get some food that is really yummy. We made it home about 10pm Sat night so that was really good. On Sunday we slept till 4:30pm. I can't believe that. Its crazy. It was a really good week end. On Saturday was also the marking of our 6 years together. So Happy Anniversary to us... :)

"J" was extra hungry that day and decided to eat the old stadium.. Lol

Additional info: Well I just realized that I didn't post on the food we had the day of our trip. oops.. So we didn't have time to go to any restaurants so we purchased food on the Whole Foods Hot Bar & Salad Bar. Most of it was really yummy. We had the Sweet & sour Tofu, Vegetable fried rice, Soba Noodles, & the soy popcorn chicken. We really enjoyed everything except for the Soba noodles which looked great but tasted nasty. The soy pop corn chicken was really good tasted really close to real chicken which made me go back and check to make sure it was soy. Scary sometimes how something are so close to tasting like meat. The texture is also pretty good. Some pieces have a fatty texture that is a little off. But that might be because it sat in my fridge for a couple days. The S&S Tofu & Veggie fried rice we mixed together and was really good. I have never really tried tofu except at the house. This tofu was really good and had a good texture. I really haven't liked tofu in the past but after getting used to the tofu idea the texture of this tofu was really good. But that all we really had that day.

Sade's Adrenal Gland Surgery

I am mourning the loss of my baby. Sade past away yesterday after her surgery. I don't know what to think of this right now. My heart has been broken. I was told at 2pm so was doing good and she could go home after 5. When I got there they told me she needed to go to the emergancy vet clinic for the night. By the time I was taking her from the clinic she was gone. My baby is gone.

This picture was taken the night before her surgury. She was happy and playful. We miss her so much.

Vegetarian Junk food/ Chili Cheese Fries

Yesterday I had a bad craving for Chili cheese fries. Its funny because when I was younger and ate meat I never had chili cheese fries. I didn't like Hamburger at all. So now when I get a craving its just a little strange to me. Anyways yesterday I was watching The Racheal Ray show and she made Chili cheese fries. I could not help myself. So I took her recipe and made it veg and here it is. Very simple. The recipe is on her web site. I just substituted the meat and put the ground boca in. Plus some extra oil because the boca really has no oil. For the Cheese sauce I used soy milk, no-chik broth, light vegan "butter", and a little cheese. If you are a vegan and or can buy vegan cheese in your area you could probably make the same sauce. (As long as the vegan cheese you buy is the kind that melt.) There are oven fries under all that Boca. Just made with some smoked Chipolta pepper, Cayenne peppers, & olive oil.

New Years Resolutions, a little late.

I have taken up a new hobby. I know I am super busy or maybe I'm not, Who knows. I know that sounds weird. But I don't work and I still manage not to get much done. I think its because I just don't know where to start on getting my home organized. Its not that its unlivable I just would like to be more organized. I am one of those people that would take a label maker and label everything. I think I have some OCD issues actually. But right now my house drives me crazy. For the last almost 3 years now my house has been somewhat unorganized but I'm not sure where to even start. When I do start I have to pull everything out of were I am and reorganize it before I can even start cleaning and after I work on organizing for a couple hours I don't feel like cleaning up the mess that I started with. Its always like that. So I have taken up a new hobby for now to get my mind off of the house. Knitting. Yes, I have always wanted to learn so I am teaching myself. I knitted a baby bib yesterday. NO I'm not pregnant I just didn't know what else to knit. I really like it. It seems to get rid of some of my stress. (Considering I have another New Years resolution of cutting out most of my stress shopping. I now notice I said most. If I say ALL it will never happen. So we are working on most. But just my luck I found a new clothing store I really like. But I am happy to say I haven't bought anything there. But I'm not going to hold my breath because today is Friday and the week end is notorious for being shopper friendly for me:) I think I should write down all my New Years Resolutions. I have alot of them this year. Hopefully they go better then normal. So here we go.

1. Debt management : Cut out stress shopping and really watch how mush I am spending ( This has not been a year for cutting down on money. So far I have had to buy a car, buy new tires, buy parts for the Talon, take Sade to the vet, and now pay for Sade's surgery. I still need to get Beltane castrated, Sophie & Chloe spade, my animal room floor refinished and repainted, the list goes on and on.) its awful.


2. Exercise at least 3 times a week working up to 5 or 6 times a week by the end of the year. (I was doing pretty good for a while last year and then I got busy and stopped. So hopefully this will work out because I love doing pilates, and yoga. And when I get back in shape a little I want to start running again. I used to love to run in the morning but I have not done that in a few years. So wish me good luck on this one.)


3. Eating healthier & cut out the cheese: Yes I do eat pretty healthy but I do get on junk food cravings every once in a while. Plus I do still eat a fair amount of cheese. Before this year it was just your everyday cheese that people run in the store and grab and not think twice about it. Now I am only buying rennet less cheese ( I know as a vegetarian I should have done this all along.) which is hard to find in our area and is much more expensive. So I will not be buying as much of it. Which is fine with me. We will see how "J" fairs. I would like to go to soy cheese this year as well and cut out all the animal cheese. ( For animal welfare reasons as well as health.)


4. Keep my house clean & organized. I think this speaks for its self from the above paragraph.


5. Pay my bills on time: I know that sounds bad but I really only have a problem because I forget to pay the phone and tv bill. I don't know why but they seem to skip my mind.


6. Cooking at least 1 new dish a week along with trying new foods.
7. Work on my anger issues. I have a bad temper that I have been working on for a while now and I hope it keeps getting a little better.

I think that is all the main ones. I will update if I remember any more. Well wish me luck :)

I know this picture of Copper eating a tomato has nothing to dot with my blogging topics but I really didn't have any pictures that did go with the topic so. You get Copper.... ( I might post a picture of the bib I knitted later when I get a pic).

Rigatoni, Crimini Mushrooms, & Asparagus

This was a really good dish. "J" loved it. I enjoyed some of it. It kinda had a meaty flavor to it from the mushrooms. But the mushrooms had that weird texture that creeps me out a little bit ( But they always do). Next time I will cook them down a little more and cut them up a little smaller. This was also the first time I had asparagus. I used a can (yes very sad I know. But I do have a good excuse. I bought fresh and couldn't find it. "J" had put it on top of the water cooler and I didn't find it for another week after I made the dish. "J" kept telling me I was imagining even buying it.) I will never use canned again. It was mushy and kinda tasted like a green bean.

I think I would really like asparagus fresh. But never again canned... Anyways. This is really all I have tried new is year. I am running behind on one of my resolutions (actually 2 to tell you the truth) but the one I am talking about is to make at least 1 new dish a week. It is week 3 and I think I have made 2. But I don't have a picture of the other and I don't even remember what it was .... oops.. This recipe came from Everyday Italian on food network. I will post the name of it later when I find the recipe again.

A new Car well kinda..

(I need a better picture but this is all I have for now.)

I have been very busy this month. First at the end of last month our Eagle Talon's water pump went out and took the timing belt with it. Then after that it was almost fixed and we messed up one of the valves and now we have to make sure the block isn't messed up. So in the mean time "J" went out and bought me a used car (but its a new car for me. you know) a 1999 Dodge Stratus. Which is very nice. (He wrecked my car over a year ago so thats why he bought one for me.) Which I love. Even though the ERG valve needs replaced. But thats ok. We had new tires put on at sears and a new sony xplode cd/mp3/radio installed at Circut City. Now I just need seat covers to keep the seats clean from the dogs. It is very quite and does very well in the snow. I love it.

Adrenal Gland Disease

Last night I was checking on my ferrets, looking them over, cleaning their cage, etc and noticed my oldest ferret is losing her hair from the base of her tail going up her spine. This is one of the first symptoms of adrenal gland disease. (If you have a ferret you should know about this disease, it is very common.) I knew what it was as soon as I seen it. That was one of my biggest worries when I started rescuing ferrets years ago. Yesterday it became a reality. Those of us who have ferrets and other exotic animals know that when one has a disease or needs a check up it is hard to find a vet that knows what they are talking about. A vet that is formally trained in exotic care ans surgeries. I have had bad experiences with the vets I have tried for my Chinchilla and rabbit in the past. So I am hoping I found a vet that knows what he is doing and is very knowledgeable this time. I thought I had in the past and even had referrals to those vets. So I pray this time everything turns out ok. So as strange as it may sound to some, but not to all.. Please pray for my Sade to have a safe surgery and recovery. Thanks Everyone. (I will post pictures of her soon. (The picture below shows some of her hair loss. sorry I forgot to turn off the flash.)

UPDATE: Sade has surgery on Jan 30, 08 to remove her adrenal gland. They said she has a good chance of a full recovery. Her age is really their only worry right now. Lets just hope that it is her left gland affected. The right is alot more complicated.

My New Waffle Maker

We got a new waffle maker and finally got to use it a couple days ago. I made plain waffles and blueberry waffles for J. They were yummy but Next time I think I am going to try either buckwheat or flax seed, or apple Cinnamon.

Christmas Gatherings & Gifts

We are normally invited to 6 family gathers all in 3 days every Christmas. 3 on "J"s side and 2 on mine. We only went to 4 this year. First (not counted in the above gatherings) J & I decided to do Christmas at our house on the 22nd I think. It was nice J gave me VwaV, Vegan Deli, a cake rotate plate, new stackable cooling racks, kitchen aid hand chopper, a new hair iron, captivity, Veronica mars season 3 and other cooking stuff. "J" received (on this day) (His b-day is on the 20th so he gets alot around this time of year, I made him an mint ice cream cake with chocolate cake. Sorry I didn't get pictures of any of that.) anyways this day he received a trimmer, Shave gel warmer, God of war 2 PS2, Smallville season 6, Live free die hard, some other movies, and a couple other things. The next morning the 22nd was the first gathering with my parents to do the gift exchanging. It turned out really nice "C" made out with tons of stuff. "J" finally got his present he had been wanting for ever. .... A bow... No he does not hunt. Just for target shooting. Plus he got a target, storage case, arrows, some small stuff for his bow. My mom got my dad a limited edition Cadillac Guitar ( My dad loves Cadillacs. He owns 3.) J & I gave him a new winter coat, some slippers, a couple other things. Dad bought mom a new computer screen and a bunch of other things. J & I gave her a giant starbucks mug, key board, shirt, and various other things. I finally got Veganomican ( Sorry spelling wrong)!!!! and Gilmore girls season 7. Everyone had a good day I know a bunch of blabbing on and on about presents sorry. But as everyone should know Christmas isn't just about presents. So celebrate but remember what you are celebrating! That evening we went to "J"s families for the present exchange. We were there for s few hours it was nice to see everyone. Christmas eve we were at J"s families again for dinner. They had finger food this year so we got to fill up on veggie & picked stuff trays. Thats ok with me though. I would rather know what I am eating then guessing what goes in my mouth. There were tons of people there. Christmas we went to my Grandparents house for dinner. It was a nice time as well. They live about 2 hours away so we don't visit them as much as we should so I is nice when we do go there. Ok I think I am done blabbing here are some pictures.














Amy's Chick pea Curry. peas, & rice. At my grandparents house. After that we also ate sweet potatoes, roles, & mashed potatoes.


Organic Cat nip candy canes for the kitties. All the animals got spoiled even more this year. The cats got a new cat house, 3 fishy toys, a mouse toy, 6 candy canes, a bird toy that chirps ( pictured to coppers left), a tunnel toy, and tons of other toys. The Dogs got tons of chew toys, 6 stuffed animals, dog beds, etc. The ferrets got bell toys, and Schookies the Chin got apple tree sticks. It was a good Christmas. We were very lucky we had the means to do this this year. This coming year it is time for a debt diet... :( But thats ok. Christmas was very nice this year. Visiting with everyone was great. Merry Christmas everyone.. I know I am a little late but I have been so so busy. So please forgive me.