#cucumber melon shimmer

[y2kbeautyandother2000sstuff]

Bath and Body Works Cucumber Melon Instant Shimmer Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel

mid-late 1990s

Found on Ebay, user msherr1

I SHOULD'VE BOUGHT THIS. dammit. I had a few of these in middle school, I distinctly remember using these in 5th-8th grade.

[sikulivisions]

Fell Into A New Reality, Literally…

On the night of Tuesday August 16, I had an accident and my reality completely changed. This is my story on how I fractured my lower spine and broke my right pubic bone.

I was house sitting for my dear friends Brooke and Evan for 3 days at that point, aiming for a week of taking care of their little cabin and their cat Nadine. I help Brooke and Evan with their organic veggie garden once or twice a week which is walking distance from the cabin. Their cabin is in the same property where another family lives in a big house, so there is two residential spaces there, the family’s home and the small cabin. Evan and Brooke’s place is a little ways away from the big house. There’s no Wi-Fi or reception in the cabin, only on certain spots on the trail that connects to the big house’s Wi-Fi or to cell reception.

Tuesday was just another beautiful day, I was really enjoying my time there, it seemed like a personal retreat for me to be house sitting for my friends. I woke up that morning, did my asana practice, fed Nadine and made my way to the garden that’s 5 minutes away from the cabin in walking distance. But first I visited the creek in front of the garden to practice breath work meditation with a cold refreshing plunge afterwards. That morning was just stunning, filled with the shimmer of the dewy grasses and restful trees who glowed with the first rays of sun. Before jumping in the water, sitting meditating I was called to open my eyes and I witnessed a huge American bald eagle fly a couple feet over my head. I was completely silent witnessing it’s beauty and hearing the sounds of it’s wings against the air. After it passed me by I smiled and thanked the universe for the sweet sign. I took it as, “I am exactly where I’m supposed to be”.

After time in the creek, I dried myself up and dressed. I made my way to the garden where I met Lee, Evan’s mother, to help for this week’s harvest. We picked peppers, tomatillos and beans. After that I borrowed Lee’s car to run a few errands, I came back and decided to jump in the creek and swim for a while. The water was fresh and perfect, I took in sun codes and enjoyed what nature had to offer. After a couple hours I made my way back to the cabin where I took a nap. I woke up and made myself a meal, then went back to the garden to finish harvesting for Wednesdays’ deliveries. We picked a variety of beautiful cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and squash. Got to try some fresh cantaloupe melon too, it was so good!

Made my way back to the cabin, and craved something sweet. So I spent time making some chocolate muffins with banana, zucchini and raspberries. I danced, read, and enjoyed the left over muffin batter. Then made my way to bed, which is located on a loft 10-13 feet high.

I drifted off into deep sleep and the universe had some unexpected plans for me that evening that changed my reality completely.

So…as I rested deeply after a long day of being active and earthing in the garden, I woke up to darkness having the urge to relieve myself, aka I needed to pee. So I stood up, still very sleepy and disoriented that I forgot where I was. The cabin’s bedroom area is in a loft that’s about a story high and you climb up a ladder to get there. There is a railing and a door to keep that area secure, but I left it open that way Nadine the cat could make her way up there when she liked.

I got up, it was pitch black thinking I was back in my dorm and walked out of the loft like a plank into the sea of hardwood floor 15-10 feet under me. I don’t remember feeling the sensation of falling, I was still unconscious of what I was doing. Suddenly I gasp for air and I feel my back, hips, feet and arm blast with pain. I screamed and groaned like never before and I let go, I relieved myself there on the floor. After regaining consciousness of what just occurred, I gathered my breath to try to turn on the lights.

I fell and landed twisted, it was dark, so I gently turned myself over to find the broom near me to turn on the lights after gathering my strength. After aiming the broom into darkness guessing where the light switches were, struggling to lift and move the broom, I flipped the lights on. I saw no blood, so that was a good sign. I tried to move every limb to see if anything was broken and I could move my head, arms, toes and some range of motion with my legs. The excruciating pain came from my hips and lower back area. I yelled “help!” but I was to far from the big house for anyone to really hear me.

So I assessed and the first thing that came to mind was “how do I get help?” and the only solution was to grab my phone which was on the first floor charging, thankfully, and get to the signal spots on the trail. I got on all fours and crawled the best I could to my phone, eventually tried to get up standing on my left foot, I sprained my right ankle so I couldn’t put pressure on it. It was too painful to walk so crawling was the best option. I changed my urine soaked clothes slowly, and made my way to the door. By that time it was around 11:30pm.

I knew there was signal a little ways away on the trail leading to the big house. So I crawled as best I could, screaming and yelling for help, crying and moaning in pain. It felt so surreal, like out of a movie. But I had to push through or else I would’ve stayed stuck in excruciating pain. So I tapped into my breath and inner strength as best as I could to move my knees over trail debris like rocks and sticks. I took a lot of breaks and eventually after crawling what seemed like forever I got one bar of reception. I immediately called 911 and told them what happened and my location. After I called 911, I called the ashram and a got a hold of a friend that worked in reception and told him what happened and asked if he could come and help. He made his way with another colleague of ours. I stayed there on the trail, rolled over onto my back and waited. It was cold, I shivered, shook and cried. Leaving my flashlight on and waiving away yelling “help!” continuously for a while. Then I saw the ambulance flashing lights after a little while and an incredible wave of relief flooded my body. They took sometime in finding me, and when they found me they realized that they needed more man power to get me out of there. The EMT’s were out of shape to lift me and carry me down the trail so we waited for the firefighters to help which took another 30 minutes. That was some tough shit…

Once they arrived they rolled me onto a stretcher and was carried down the trail. I saw my sweet colleagues once I got to the ambulance, and they followed us to the hospital. It all felt surreal and dreamlike, even with the pain, I just couldn’t fully digest everything that had happened, even till now sitting in my hospital bed. It all seems like a dream, still pretty shocking.

Left in the ambulance and made our way to a trauma center an hour away from the cabin, it was a tough ride but I made it through. Once I arrived and got registered in the hospital, it was almost 3 AM, they took me in for scans and X-Rays. After an hour or so, they told me that I fractured my L2 vertebre which is in my low back area and that I broke my pubic bone aka my pelvis. First bones ever broken, first ER experience and first ambulance ride. I won’t be having surgery which I’m so thankful for, but recovery will be a long journey full of physical therapy and a radical change of lifestyle. Won’t be able to sit for long periods of time and will wear a back brace for a few weeks or months to help my back heal.

I am thankful for everything, everyone’s support and for the lesson and challenge that presented itself that night. Lying in the ground waiting for the ambulance, I remember thinking to myself, “Well what a great day to die.” It was such a gorgeous day filled with love and vibrancy that I would’ve felt fulfilled and complete if that was my last day on earth as Maya. Now being hospitalized on a bed for hours without end, it has given me time to rest and recovery but also has allowed me to digest those feelings somewhat down to my core. I’m just extremely grateful, for doing what makes me happy and loving the life I’ve created for myself presently and fully, for tapping into my inner strength and trusting that I’m always protected and cared for. Even though this experience was traumatic in many ways, and has been the biggest physical challenge I’ve experienced, I trust and know it was for a reason.

Feeling loads of gratitude for my community of friends and family whom I love so dearly that continues to support me and care for my well-being. I love you so much, thank you for being here, for your blessings and love.

May this experience help transform my life into the necessary circumstances to continue living fully and presently with love and gratitude.

With light,

Maya

P.S. If you would like to help or support my recovery my Venmo is: @MAYAZ0EY

[whatwouldmothmando]

Want your next bath to be cryptically relaxing? Our bath bombs have colors and scents inspired by your favorite cryptids.

Mothman (Scent: Sandalwood, Pomegranate, Violet) - black mica, red biodegradeable glitter

Bigfoot (Scent: Pine, Campfire, Rain) - coppery brown shimmery mica

Alien (Scent: Cucumber-melon, Pear, Lemongrass) - green dye, black mica

Ghost (Scent: Cotton Sheets, Night Air, Violet) - silver-purple shimmer mica

Mothman-Bigfoot-Alien Combo

[dancinginthecenteroftheworld]

Midsummer Festival for the Small Town AU

Seasonal? What’s that. Anyway. Trying a different format, let me know if you like it or like the old one better. OFFERINGS! From ALL THE STORES Frey’s Insurance: chips and pineapple salsa Reed’s Outdoor Emporium: sumac fritter Iron Crown Dentistry: tongue scraper Marbrand and Crakehall: melon and prosciutto skewers Balon’s: Closed Tyrell’s Grocer: mini chicken salad sandwiches Lannister Bank: Summer Solstice gin punch

Westeros Library: paper plate suns Citadel Clinic: nectarine mozzarella salad Frozen North Ice Cream Shoppe: watermelon sorbet Wildling Coffee and Tea: mead Sand Therapy: mezze tray with olives, pita, baba ganoush, hummus, cucumber yogurt salad, labneh, kofta Martell Inn: under construction Tarly’s Fine Dining: flame grilled steak frite bites

City Hall: strawberry lemonade Courthouse: street tacos Sandsnakes Boutique: prosecco grapes House of Black and White Pharmacy: cucumber stuffed cherry tomatoes Syrio’s Curiosities and Antiques: grilled peppers with olives and feta Martell, Esq: jambalaya Baratheon Law: imploding honey custard cake

Cregan’s Department Store: lemon curd tassies Westeros Elementary: kite making Lonely Hills Garden Center: random flower start Mother’s Mercy Daycare: tissue paper suncatchers Evenfall Pizza: pepper poppers For Want of A Nail: toast skagen Sew What: dream pillows

Cassell’s Bowling Alley: grilled peaches with mascarpone Dragon’s Egg Pet Supply: sun shaped dog biscuit Rose Garden Yarn and Tea: woven sun pendant Blushing Blooms: sunflower Vaes Dothrak: lemon ginger turmeric wellness shot Seven Sister’s Sweets and Savories: fried honey cakes Starfish Veterinary: bonito flakes

Fat Walda’s: grilled sausage sandwich bites with peppers and onions Weekly Spyder: pasta salad Littlefinger’s Bar: pink lemonade jello shot, woo woo shot, thriller shot Stolen Ink: face painting Happy Endings: edible shimmer powder Between the Covers: charcuterie board Sunspear Salon: Rose All Day punch

[mangled-dreams]

Sins of the Mother: 8

Chapter 8: Visions

Previous: Collection, Agreement, Terms, Truths, Accident, Goodbye, Grieving

Over the next few weeks when you're not doing your normal duties for your family and work  you find yourself pouring over the book. You read wild and crazy spells, ingredient lists, learn the purpose of each piece of a spell and why even the smallest variant is important to make a spell pack more of a punch or even just go right. At first it all seemed foreign and ridiculous, but the more you read and learned the more it made sense.

You learn a spell dose not have to rhyme in order to work or be powerful. Most witches use rhyming to remember their spells better and to help future generations learn them. You notice that the majority of spells midway and further in the book do not rhyme.

Either your ancestors were really talented or specifically dropped rhyming to keep other from memorizing their spells. You also note that as you look deeper into the book the less ingredients and supplies are listed. You wonder if it indicates the creator's skill level or if they didn't list for secrecy purposes.

While you don't have a want or real need to learn everything in the book, you do wonder if you could reach such a level of proficiency and skill to the point you wouldn't need ingredients or very many supplies.

Flipping through the book with little interest on any one particular page you pause when a spell name in elegant script catches your eyes. Flipping back three pages you look at the yellowed page with keen eyes.

To Banish A Demon

Scanning the text the spell seems pretty straight forward compared to others you've read through. It's basically an incantation using various religious entities and symbols respectively to banish just about any kind of demon known to mankind. Idly you wonder if it would work on Dark.

Thinking it over a few minutes you come to the conclusion it's not a priority at the moment. While, yes, you don't particularly enjoy being tethered to Dark against under such events, he's not the worse thing in your life and for the present time you have bigger concerns.

Mainly seeing into the past to view Trinity's last day. You pray seeing her last day will bring  you closure.

It takes another week before you have confidence in your first attempt to step back in time. To be safe you sent Ollie and Fern to a friend's house for the weekend and ensured your father would be busy with a camping trip you set up with your uncles for the weekend. Even as much as you need your closure you will no put your family at risk.

Shutting the power off for the whole house you carry a melon and cucumber scented candle with you as light to guide your way. Shutting the door to the basement you walk into the dinning room where everything is set up and ready to go.

Electricity won't affect positively or negatively with the spell you've chosen to attempt, it's purely for aesthetic. You've seen one too many movies or shows where the witch, whether modern or ancient prefer the void of modern comforts.

So, you sit at your dinning room table in the pitch black, with a few candles to light your way and your supplies spread before you including the spell on a slip of paper. You haven't memorized the spell to absolute knowledge so it's written down to help you along if you get lost.

Among your supplies is a locket your father gave to Trinity after your mom died. Inside are photos of your mom and Trinity and on the opposite side is a family photo. Trinity never took it off and you had to have it removed from her body.

Picking up the oval locket your thumb runs over the old gold. It's a family heirloom passed down through the generations. You never quite knew who brought it into the family but Trinity felt honored it came to be in her possession. Smiling bitterly you fight against the way of mental pain that washes through you.

It takes everything in you to set the locket down again and focus on your task. After a few minutes you finally feel a sense of calm and clarity needed to cast the spell. Taking a steady breath you open your eyes and push forward.

Reciting the spell--almost from memory, you pick up Trinity's necklace and holding it tightly in your hand. With a soft whisper, "Please, grant me closure." It's not part of the spell but you need to say it, to remind yourself this is for closure to move forward.

Silence surrounds you and for a long, heart pounding minute nothing happens. Peeking around you expected something to happen, a flash of light, or maybe the world would whiz past you throwing you back in time, but nothing happens.

Then, in the darkness of the room a deep voice echoes around you chilling you to the bone. "Heed this warning young witch; Be mindful of what you ask. If it closure you desire then it is the truth I shall show you."

Before you can formulate a response the world shifts from under your feet. The chair you're on disappears leaving you to free fall in the inky black. You cannot see anything except your own body. Your make no sound while you fall, despite air leaving your frightened and tense body.

Bracing for the inevitable impact of land your hands clutch Trinity's locket painfully, the unforgiving metal digging into your palm and fingers. You don't know how long you've been falling at this point and it scares you more than the actual fall.

Could you be trapped in this cycle of endless falling? What will your family think if you never appear again? Between thought you notice the locket, despite keeping your painful grip on it, seems to disappear from your hand.

Shocked and scared you open your palm and look at your now empty hand. Searching the darkness you try to find the locket. Nothing,  you see absolutely nothing.

There is no impact of feeling to landing to single the ride is over even as the pitch blackness slowly releases you. Beneath your feet you feel the texture of dew covered grass, there is a chill in the still night air, and a thin blanket of fog rising up from the river to your left.

Looking around you come to realize you know this plot of land. it's not as well manicured or as enclosed as you remember but you know the grounds. It's the Scarlet estate only years and years before your birth, probably even before your great-great-great grandmother's birth.

Gazing around your location, eyes sweeping the physical ground beneath your socked feet, you hesitantly take a step forward. You're still trying to make sense of where and when you are. Being thrown back to an unknown time period without reason is confusing and disorienting. All you wanted was to get answers to your questions.

You hear a door of the large menacing looking manor slam open with great force pulling your attention to a tall younger looking man briskly walking out followed by a shorter young woman puling at his coattails. Her voice shrieks and at first listen sounds genuinely mournful, "Henrik! Please, please, you know it was an accident. Please, stop!"

It takes a moment in the dim light of the fully moon, but the longer you focus on the woman the more you realize it's your long since dead Great-Great-Great-Great Grandmother Savannah Scarlet. She look identical to the portrait handing in the halls of the family mansion. You pause looking at the building before you and come to the conclusion you're on the estate.

Looking back to your dead grandmother you note she's shorter than you would have thought, probably around five foot even slim feminine build with flowing brown curls. She's dressed in fine robes, a long dress with face and pears from what you can make out.

From your spot across the grass you see picie like features, small perfectly painted lips, big doll eyes, and pale clear skin with hits of pink. She honestly reminds you of a beautifully painted doll. Everything about her seems to be utterly perfect except one thing.

Clutched in her arms is a blanket wrapped child. You can't see the gender or many features but it doesn't seem to be making any noise despite how loudly Savannah is wailing and quickly she's moving after the male. Panic for the child propels you across the rain covered grass.

"Savannah! Enough! I cannot continue like this. I could forgive you for the first child, but I cannot for two. My heart would not take the death of another child should we continue." The handsome, distinguished Irish gentleman, you assume to be Henrik says.  Tears shimmer in his broken blue eyes, looking sadly at the infant laying dead in his lover's arms.

"Please, Henrik, surely there is something you can do." Savannah pleas pulling at his coat.

On the surface Savannah looks and acts like the distraught mother, but you see through the mask she wears so well. Reading her body language and hearing her tone and choice of words it's obvious to you she's faking. You've been around your aunts long enough to know the difference between the genuine article and a phony.

Savannah cares nothing for the baby, only that Henrik does not leave her. Silently you encourage Henrik to pull away, to leave and never return. To your relief he does just that.

Closing his brilliant blue eyes Henrik turns from Savannah, pulls his coat from her grip, and walks away to the carriage waiting. He ignores the first real sound of sorrow you've heard since arriving emit from Savannah's throat. She collapses to her knees nearly dropping the child. Maids swarm her rushing to help their mistress and the child.

As soon as Henrik is out of sight Savannah practically chucks the child into a maid's arms scowling at the long gone carriage. Her face is completely dry and perfect as it was before. It's as if nothing has happened and she is simply a woman scorned by her former lover.

"Mistress, what should we do with the child?" The young woman holding the infant asks, you can hear in her tone she's numb to the question. Her tone makes you question just how often Savannah has children and then kills them. Even from Henrik this is not her first child to die.

"Dispose of it. I'm sick of looking at it." Savannah responds coldly, refusing to look at the blanket. Her voice sends shivers through your whole body. She's just so cold and dejected from the life she took.

"As you wish."

Before you can make sense of it the scenery changes. You stand inside the mansion now. Candles give light as Savannah stands in the center of a diagram or pentagram you've never seen before. Runes are either etched or drawn in dark chalk on the ground. You do have enough sense to see the scene for what it is; Savannah is preforming a ritual.

Taking a better look around you, you note there is another child before Savannah. She has it laying at her feet on the ground wrapped in pink. From what little light the candles give off there is color to this child's cheeks and it appears to be sleeping, but knowing your ancestor like you do now, you doubt the child is still alive.

Crudely you wonder how many more children died before this one. You wonder if she is attempting a resurrection spell, or if she's sacrificing the child for some end game. Whatever she is doing you feel sorrow for another life that is loss. These children are your family, you would died before causing the death to any of your siblings, let alone your own child. You despise Savannah for her lack of respect for life.

Continuing to watch Savannah with pure disgust in your heart for her actions you see her slice a long thin line into her palm. Blood pools in her hand before spilling over, dripping on to the design wrapped around her and the infant. For less time than you believe to have passed you only hear the sound of her blood hitting the concrete.

Then, in a burst of cold air and a flash of red, as if something from a cheesy TV show the candles are blown out and before Savannah is a demon bowing respectively. Out of instinct you fan the smoke and smells away from you, your head turned away from the flash of red. When it's cleared you look back over at the demon and Savannah.

For whatever reason you were not expecting this. Dark straightens his spine, towering over Savannah easily, his gaze cool as they stare at each other. His eyes flicker away from her for a moment towards you as if knowing you're there despite it being impossible before looking back at Savannah to finally address her.

"I believe you said it would a cold day in hell before you'd as for my help, Savannah. Yet, here I am." Dark says in a way that curls your toes a little. He's deep voice registers wonderfully with the room, echoing and pulsating through you to the point you have to remind yourself you're at odds with the man in your present.

Savannah crosses her arms over her chest, rolling her eyes at him like a spoiled teenager, and in part you believe her to be one. Her actions are not that of an adult, but of a child trying to get exactly what she wants. "I did not summon you for the pleasantries, Damien. I have a proposition for you. One I know you will not pass up." Savannah informs him. Her smile unsettles you.

More than her unsettling smile a detail, well, a name strikes you. Damien? Is that Dark's real name? In the near year you've known, well been forced to know him, Dark has never mentioned any other alias to you. Not that it's the focus of this little venture.

"You have my attention." Dark--Damien responds almost eagerly.

"Bring the child there to life again and take my memories of its death away. In return you may have the change to take a scarlet as your payment." Savannah says sounding almost irritated at the whole exchange despite being the one to summon Dark.

"I see. Lost you patience for another child. I presume another lover will leave if the child does not make it." Dark chuckles at the predicament. Within just a split second Dark's amused expression changes. "Is it simply the memories or the impulsion to kill the children you wish to rid yourself of?" Dark asks seriously.

Savannah glares at him. "What are you getting at Damien?"

"Simply that erasing your memory of the child's murder will not stop you from doing it again. Even as powerful as I am, there is limits to bringing a soul back from the grave." Dark responds.

Savannah pauses in thought. "What more do you wish for taking the impulses away?" She inquires.

"You know of what I want." Dark responds coldly. "Do not think I will accept this deal lightly should it be struck despite it's temptation. My kind has come to trust that a Scarlet is not to be trusted.

Rolling her eyes again Savannah groans, "Fine! You are unexpectedly cautious this time around, Damien. You've learned you lesson. This is my offer. Bring the child to life, take my memories of its death and this encounter and impulses to kill from me, and in return you may court one of my children, however many generations from me, to take as your payment. This child of mine must give themselves over willingly, whether you choose a man or woman. Do as you please with them." Savannah thinks for a moment. "Court as many as you wish. I care not, but know a child cannot be conceived unless it is desired by both." Savannah smiling wickedly at Dark knowing he will be bound to the words she's spoken.

Dark's expression never changes but you can see her words have gotten under his skin. It will be a difficult task to convince a Scarlet to bare or seed a child with a demon, but he has no other choice. This is one and only chance otherwise another demon will be summoned. He is counting on Savannah to spin the tale in her favor, to lie and say that he tricked her, forced her even into making the deal.

"Is that all?" He asks as if a little unimpressed at her conditions.

Glaring at Dark, Savannah add, "Ah yes, since you did ask. Once you have taken a Scarlet as your bride or husband, you can never take another into your keep. Whatever poor soul throws themselves into your arms will be bound to you for the extent of your lifespan."

Renaming silent a moment longer Dark bows slightly his hand out to Savannah to take. "A deal is struck." Dark responds smiling just as wickedly. It's a little unsettling to see him in such a state. The image doesn't last long, the scenery changing once again as you are whisked away. The last thing you hear is the cry of a child echoing in the darkness.

"Mistress as you requested." You see the maid from the first memory step out of the darkness of a bedroom this time. Looking closer you see it's a hidden passage hidden behind a bookshelf. The maid walks to a confused Savannah with a folded note in her hand.

Holding it out to Savannah she takes it, reading it a moment, then crumples it up. "Excellent. Where is the child?" She asks walking to a candle and lights the paper on fire, dropping it into the fireplace.

"Asleep and well in his crib." The maid reports seeming a little relieved but spooked at the living child she'd just fed. Savannah nods her head.

"We will proceed as planned. I assume the chamber is as it should be." Savannah asks sitting at her vanity.

"Of course my mistress. Would you like me to fill the bath and fetch your nightgown?" The maid asks. Savannah nods her head waving the maid away. You watch as Savannah stands the moment the maid leaves and pulls out her book of spells. It's almost identical to the one Dark gave you but in much better condition.

Looking over her shoulder Savannah scribbles down the banishing spell you'd found earlier in the book. It takes her the better part of an hour before stopping when another maid knocks at her door. Hurriedly she stashes the book away and orders her maid in.

Nodding at the news her bath is ready Savannah dismisses her maid. Standing up she looks at her palm then her reflection. "What once was dead is now a live. Let the clock reverse and turn back time. What once was broken now be mended. What once was old let now youth take hold." Savannah whispers.

You watch as her already youthful feathers take on a new radiant glow. Watching her reverse age you get the feeling she's been using this spell for years to remain young and desirable to men. You fear how long the spell actually takes hold for, and just how powerful Savannah really was, if she even died at all. With a rejuvenation spell with this much power, you doubt she would ever allow herself to age.

[scrubpassionbynikki]

Our last batch of Shimmering Cucumber-Melon lotion bars were poured early this morning.this is how gorgeous they look just as they are poured and still hot. There is currently only 1 left, pair it w/ our Cucumber-Melon salt or sugar scrub! ... Don't wait! #CucumberMelon #cucumbermelonlotion #veganfriendly #crueltyfreebeauty www.ScrubPassionByNikki.com https://www.instagram.com/p/CC3qGcvDVZO/?igshid=1iv83psue7n2e

[countvonroo]

T what's your favorite chapstick

I am, by all intents and purposes, a bunnies and cream fan. their stuff is really smooth and nice smelling and I like the moisture in it. I usually buy from him at cons but you can buy shit from here too at https://www.bunniesandcream.com/ my personal favs are the mango, cucumber melon, and grape

I also really love healing earth’s mint shimmer lip balm. it also comes in orange but I’m never used it and in non-shimmer. it’s a nice creamy consistency and even though it’s brown in the tube, it’s not tinted and it lasted a really long time!!it’s on their website at, https://healingearthvt.com/product/mint-shimmer-lip-balm/

if you want some cool novelty shit, I like doctor lip bangs lip freak in berry sinister! it’s a lip balm that makes your lips tingle. it’s p cool and you can buy their stuff at ulta, tj maxx, or on their website at https://www.lipbang.com/lip-freak 

and last but not least, I love good old burts bees original.

I am also always up to chapstick suggestions, because ya girl is always running out of tubes!!!

[utkhowaga]

Exploring the Silk Route

It’s the afternoon of a hot summer’s day, and I am standing at the bottom of a staircase—with no handrails—that’s not so much set in to the side of a mountain as built on top of it.  The stairs look solid from way back, but now that I’m standing in front of them … they’re kind of crumbly.  And did I mention the part with no handrail?

Way up there, at the top of four hundred fifty five stairs, there’s a shrine whose gleaming silver dome is barely visible in the afternoon sun.  That’s our destination.

Am I really going to do this? I ask myself, gauging the heat and looking at my nearly empty water bottle, but knowing that the answer is yes.  Otherwise, why would I be here?

I’m in the Sentyab valley, somewhere on the border between Samarkand and Navoiy viloyets, in the Central Asia republic of Uzbekistan. I’m here with a small tour group of educators exploring the midsection of the Silk Route.

Sentyab is the site of Uzbekistan’s first, and as far as I can tell only, community-based tourism venture. There are four guesthouses in Sentyab, each owned by a family (ours was owned by two brothers) that welcomes visitors into their homes and offers a glimpse of life in an idyllic village setting.

The village is spread out along a green valley on the north side of the Pemir mountains, a relatively low-lying mountain range that separates the more fertile part of the country where the main trunk of the ancient Silk Route runs from the drier steppes of Central Asia that expand north from where I’m standing to … well, they go a really long way.

On our arrival, we had been fed a typical “light” Uzbek lunch featuring the national dish, plov: a pilaf of meat, rice, carrots and currants. Also on the table was fresh bread—it’s always called non, cooked similarly to Indian naan in a tandoor-like clay oven—but the style differs from town to town with each region claiming its own as the country’s best. Apricots, apples, and mulberries were in season and served in abundance along with sweet melons, watermelon, salads of cucumber, tomato, and mint; fresh yogurt; and, just in case anyone was still hungry, toasted apricot seeds and dried fruits.

It’s little wonder that afterwards, most of us took a siesta on the veranda where we’d eaten, along the creek under giant mulberry trees, and then decided to take a walk through the village to wake ourselves back up. After all, dinner was coming in a few hours, and no one was even remotely hungry. What better to build up an appetite than walking up the side of a mountain?

As the others passed me, I slung my camera to one side and took the first few steps up the mountain.  Once we got above the trees, there was a nice breeze!  I quickly stopped counting the steps because the numbers weren’t approaching 455 as fast as I wanted.  As we went up, the mountainside retreated, and the rail-less flight of stairs rose out of the side of the mountain a couple of meters.  I focused on the dome above, trying to suppress my teenage vertigo.  Just a few more steps …

Finally, we were there, atop the stairs—which was not actually on top of the mountain but on a ridge on the side. The structure was smaller than I’d expected—from the other side of the valley it looked massive! And here I discovered one of the things that makes Uzbekistan unique.  I’ve traveled in a lot of the Islamic world and it varies a lot from place to place. But here was something I’d never seen before.

“Is this a Buddhist shrine?” I asked our guide, slightly confused. “No,” he said, pointing to the crescent on top of the dome. “But … these are prayer flags.”

And, indeed, what I saw is almost identical to Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags in form and function.

The shrine is built over a spring whose waters are now diverted further down the mountainside.  According to local legend, a local goat herder had been shown the location in a vision of Imam Ali, the Prophet Muhammad’s son in law. (This is a common story at many mountainside shrines; a much larger and more famous one is a pilgrimage site in the town of Nurota, where we stopped the next day on the way to Bukhara).  Even though the spring has been in use since pre-Islamic days, locals still insist that Imam Ali was involved with its discovery.

Pilgrims come to this shrine and, as tradition has it, they tear off part of their garments, make a wish, and tie the strip of cloth to the metal railing. Eventually the cloth disintegrates and the wish is blown up to God with the intercession of the saints who guard the shrine.

It’s a tradition from the steppe, one of the many signs that you can find in Uzbekistan that the country sits aside the road between east and west: a Persian style dome sits atop an Islamic shrine, decorated with what I mistook to be Buddhist prayer flags, at a site that’s been revered since Zoroastrianism predominated here over a thousand years ago.

As the sun began to set over the valley and the smoke from several dozen cooking ovens began to rise above the trees, we started down the stairs to the path that would take us past the fields with the cows and goats, and the rooftops laden with fresh apricots and mulberries drying in the sun, to enjoy another home cooked meal in the veranda under the mulberry trees along the creek.  We were the only visitors in the town that night, and every person on their way home from the fields greeted us warmly as we passed.

Uzbekistan, with its friendly people, natural beauty, and shimmering blue domed mosques and tiled minarets could very well be the next “hot” destination. I’m glad I got the chance to see it first.

Originally published on Not Even Past.

[y2kbeautyandother2000sstuff]

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[jenguerrero]

  Baco: Vivid Recipes from the Heart of Los Angeles is an amazing foodie book for when you want to pull out all the stops to make incredible dishes.

I am absolutely in love with the Bäco Bread with Creamy Poblano Feta Dressing. The  smell of the fresh flatbreads baking fills the house and the dressing is lickable. A huge thanks to Chronicle Books for letting me share it with you! The picture is mine. The photographs in Bäco are beautiful.

My review with my pics and thoughts on all the dishes I tried is below the recipe.

Baco: Vivid Recipes from the Heart of Los Angeles by Josef Centeno and Betty Hallock, photographs by Dylan James Ho and Jeni Afuso (Chronicle Books, 2017.)

Bäco Bread

Makes 10 flatbreads

1 ½ tsp active dry yeast 1 ½ tsp sugar 1 cup [240 ml] warm water 3 2/3 cups [440 g] flour, plus more for dusting 2 tsp salt 6 Tbsp [80 g] ghee, at room temperature 3 Tbsp plain yogurt Avocado or olive oil for cooking

Whisk together the yeast, sugar, and warm water in a small bowl. Set aside til foamy, about 10 minutes.

Whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the ghee, yogurt, and yeast mixture and mix with a wooden spoon or by hand until thoroughly combined. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside til nearly doubled in volume, about 1 ½ hours.

Punch down the dough, turn it over onto a lightly floured work surface, and knead it again for a few minutes. Cut the dough into 10 pieces and roll each into a ball. With a rolling pin, roll out each ball into in 8-by-4-in [20-by-10-cm] oval, dusting with flour as needed.

Heat the oven to 300°F [150°C]. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large heavy bottomed frying pan over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Place one piece of dough in the pan, adjusting the heat as needed so that the bread is browned on the bottom and the top starts to bubble and puff, about 1 minute. Flip the bread and cook until the second side is browned, about 1 minute longer. The breads should be spotted with well-browned areas and still pliable.

Transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining breads, adding more oil to the pan as needed. Serve warm.

Poblano-Feta Dip

Makes 1 ½ cups [280 g]

3 poblano chiles ½ tsp cumin seeds 1 cup [14 g] fresh cilantro leaves 1 cup [16 g] fresh mint leaves 1 cup [140 g] crumbled feta Grated zest and juice of ½ lemon 2 garlic cloves, peeled 1 Tbsp sherry vinegar ½ tsp salt 1 Tbsp to 1/3 cup [15 to 80 ml] water

One at a time, char the poblano chiles by placing them directly over the open flame or a gas stove or grill. Turn them with tongs as they are roasting, until the skins of the chiles are charred and blistered all over, 1 to 2 minutes on each side. While they’re hot, place them in a large sealable bag to steam for about 10 minutes. Don’t let the chiles steam for too long or they’ll start to turn brown. Remove the charred skin, rubbing it off gently with the back of a knife. Cut open one side of each chile and remove and discard the stems, seeds, and ribs. Set aside.

Toast the cumin seeds in a small, dry frying pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

Put the poblano chiles, cumin, cilantro, mint, feta, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, vinegar, and salt in a blender and purée on medium to high speed, adding water a tablespoon at a time, until smooth. Use just enough water to blend the mixture to the consistency of hummus. It shouldn’t be too liquidy. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Baco: Vivid Recipes from the Heart of Los Angeles by Josef Centeno Edition: Hardcover

This is an ultra-fresh, vibrant, colorful, flavorful omnivorous book. The contrasts of flavor, texture, and color are phenomenal. His aesthetics are great. Everything we’ve tried has been delicious and interesting. The recipes aren’t terribly difficult, but I headed straight for my better grocer for some of the more special ingredients. He suggests substitutions for some that are more rare in the recipe headers.

The book itself is very artsy and gift quality. The photography’s beautiful and there are little design features like the top right corner of the pages are rounded, which I thought was just to look cool, but seem to make the pages easier to turn. Huh.

1) Sichuan Pepper Lamb Top Round with English Pea and Parsley Salad – p 246 & 38 and Sweet Potatoes with Aonori Marscapone Butter, Feta and Honey – p 188. All of the contrasting color is visually stunning and the flavors are just outstanding. The cut of lamb is not fatty at all, and the flavor crust on it is wonderful. This is the best sweet potato recipe I’ve ever tried. The aonori is just crushed up nori, so if you have nori sheets in your pantry, you can just run one through your spice grinder and you’ll be set. The lamb calls for 1 teaspoon of cubeb pepper. My grocer didn’t have it (Amazon does!), so after reading a description, I substituted ½ teaspoon each of allspice and peppercorns. It was delicious.

2) Tuscan Melon with Persian Cucumber Salad with Cacik – p 110 & 92. Fantastic sweet, earthy, and crisp salad. I only made ¼ of the cacik recipe, because that’s all that was needed under the salad, but it’s a little like a tzatziki with walnuts and raisins. It’s too delicious to not make ½ of the recipe. 3) Bäco Bread – p 176 and Roasted Golden Beets with Radishes, Cucumbers, Hazelnuts, and Creamy Poblano Feta Dressing – p 218, 22 & 80. These are the recipes from the cover, so I had to try those out. Wow! These are my favorite in the book. I can’t believe how easy it is to make flatbread at home, and they’re perfectly pillowy, and the smell of the fresh bread has everyone waiting at the table. The earthiness of the beets with the mellowed out pickled onions, the sharp breakfast radishes, the sweet crisp of the cukes, the pop from the dry-cured olives and feta, and the fresh herbs combine to make the most amazing salad. And that poblano feta dip is lickable! I made the chicken below with it. Perfect dinner.

4) Braised Chicken with Leeks, Tomatoes, Berbere, Thyme, and Yogurt – p 234. Lovely spicy chicken with leeks and tomatoes, braised in wine and stock. 5) Tuscan Kale with Crushed Fenugreek-Nigella Meatballs and Sherry Raisins – p 137 & 135. Delicious dinner, and there’s a full bunch of Tuscan kale on each plate. The miso is not mentioned in the meatball name, but that flavor is nice and pronounced. Nigella is sometimes called black cumin or charnushka, if you’re having trouble finding it. 6) Sauteed Peaches and Shishito Peppers with Goat Cheese, Cashews – p 221 & and Saffron Honey – p 33. Fantastic!

7) Baharat-Spiced Porcetta – p 258 & 35 with Chimichurri – p 84 and Red Endive and Blood Oranges with Blue Cheese, Dukkah, and Banyuls Vinaigrette with Hazelnut and Fennel Dukkah – p 104 and 48. Delicious! The whole house smells lovely from the slow roasting pork. The bitter greens and citrus salad offset the richness of the pork so nicely. My grocer doesn’t carry red endive, so I used regular, but you could use radicchio if you wanted to have the color pop like in the book.

8-10) Panko Crusted Shrimp with Chives and Mexican Sriracha – 148 with Jicama Salad with Mango, Fennel, Cucumber, Peanuts, Lime, and Fish Sauce Vinaigrette – p 147 & 71. Yum! Fresh, easy, tropical tasting dinner. I added a little mayo to the sriracha sauce. You only need 1/5 of the fish sauce vinaigrette recipe for this, so that’s all I made. This makes a ton of salad, so I tossed extra peanuts into the leftovers for lunch the next day. Nice.

11) Barley Porridge with Ginger and Sauteed Oranges – p 212 with Breakfast Dukkah – p 52. Wonderfully fragrant, tasty breakfast in less than a half hour.

Some others I have flagged to try: Snap Pea and Asian Pear Salad with Grapefruit, Burrata, & Hazelnuts – p 107 * Fennel, Kale, Shaved Cauliflower, and Apple with Creamy Dill Dressing and Bacon Bread Crumb Persillade – p 113, 95, 54 & 55 * Crudites with Walnut-Miso Bagna Cauda – p 114 & 56 * Blistered Green Beans with Fenugreek-Chipotle Tomato Sauce – p 116, 67 & 39 * Creamy Romesco Soup with Grapefruit, Nigella, and Fresh Horseradish – p 120 * Caesar Brussels Sprouts – p 125, 22 & 54 * Caramelized Cauliflower with Mint, Pine Nuts, Lime, and Yogurt – p 132 * Sauteed Broccolini with Mexican Sriracha and Queso Fresco – p 134 * Coffee-Rubbed Beef Carpaccio with Juniper Tarragon Vinaigrette and Crispy Shallots – p 157, 40 & 72 * Slow-Roasted Berbere-Cured Ocean Trout with Lemon Tempura and Citrus Olive Salad – p 166 and 163 * Fuyu Persimmon Salad with Grapes, Red Walnuts, and Sherry Vinegar – p 186 *Rutabaga and Pancetta with Lemon, Anchovy & Capers – p 190 * Eggplant with Avocado, Persian Cucumbers, Herbs, and Cipollini-Buttermilk Dressing – p 194 & 74 * Berbere Chicken and Creamy Pecorino Rice – p 196 * Imjadra with Cherries, Parsley, Sumac, Yogurt, and Fried Shallots – p 230 * Skirt Steak with Horseradish Yogurt and Beets bi Tahini – p 182

I’ll update this as I play in the book more.

#BäcoMercat

#JosefCenteno

#ChronicleBooks

  Bäco: Vivid Recipes from the Heart of Los Angeles by Josef Centeno and the most amazing recipe for Bäco Bread with Creamy Poblano Feta Dressing Baco: Vivid Recipes from the Heart of Los Angeles is an amazing foodie book for when you want to pull out all the stops to make incredible dishes.

[cicinicole-14]

all orange

Buff Orange - Would you consider yourself athletic?

unless you call running away from my problems athletic then no

Burnt Sienna - Favourite smell?

oh man so many I’m a smells person but citrus is a top and cucumber melon or coconut ties for first

Melon - Do you like to dance?

no because I have two left feet but I will dance at weddings

Carrot - Do you bake?

I do! I quite enjoy it

Copper - What is your favourite kind of day?

ngl, overcast and gloomy days

Orangeade - When do you feel alive?

right after I get out of a shower I feel like I’ve woken up y’know

Gamboge - Where do you want to travel?

um, Bahamas currently because were taking a family vacation soon and like trying to decide where and I want to go to Bahamas or Cancun

Peach - Favourite texture/s?

anything soft or squishy and weird but like rubbery I know that sounds awful but like I like like squishy rubbery things like stress balls and shit

Vermillion - How brave are you?

yeah no I’m a fucking pussy actually no I take tat back it depends on the sitch bc if were talking “oh ur brave if u wanna cage dive with sharks or skydive” then yeah I’m brave I wanna do both. I’ve actually swam with sharks before and remind you, you’re talking to the girl who spent her 16th birthday at an alligator farm holding alligators and yah ok I’m definitely brave

Bittersweet Shimmer - What is your favourite memory?

ou, this is tough? I think the day I found out I got accepted to my dream college and then told my dad and the look on his face was just so pure. he was so happy for me. that was a happy memory 

[y2kbeautyandother2000sstuff]

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