#Review - Aloe Cadabra Personal Lubricant #Adult-Oriented @aloecadabra

The majority of water based personal lubricants on the market are filled with various chemicals. Personally speaking, I don't want any of those chemicals coming near my lady parts. I have sensitive skin and I found that over the years my sensitivity to certain synthetic ingredients has only increased. No one mentioned that I would also be sensitive to the ingredients in every single lube I've tried. No one talks about that stuff, they should.

Astroglide used to be a favorite of ours. Over time, I found myself increasingly uncomfortable with each use... too much heat uncomfortable. I had similar experiences with K-Y Jelly and Wet. I stopped using lubricants all together, opting to just be careful and risk harm to my body because the alternative weighed heavier.

A month ago, I stumbled upon Aloe Cadabra. They sell a water based Aloe Vera lubricant made with natural and safe ingredients. It is marketed towards woman experiencing menopause, vaginal dryness or anyone who is looking for a natural lubricant without petroleum or silicone. I fortunately have not explored the dreaded menopause and my vagina has been functioning just fine to my knowledge, again - no one talks about these things. I approached Aloe Cadabra curious about this toy friendly lube and I wondered how it measured up to its toxic competition.

Aloe Cadabra comes in 4 varieties. I got to try the Tahitian Vanilla variety which has a very subtle aroma. I love that this lube is sweetened using Organic Stevia; everything in this lube is food grade. This lubricant is also PH balanced for a woman's body.

The lubricant isn't completely clear like most others on the market. It is pale yellow, cloudy and almost honey-like. It isn't sticky and clean up is a breeze. I'm thrilled that this product doesn't deliver the same "chemical burning sensation" that other lubes so lovingly provide. This product is fantastic and I will definitely be a return customer.

You can reach out to Aloe Cadabra on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclaimer: I received a couple bottles of this product to sample for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own and are based upon my personal product experience. Your experience may differ. I received no additional compensation for this review.

My Broccoli Bolted

I awoke this morning after a couple days of tropical storm winds and heavy rain to a broccoli plant that had bolted. This happens during extreme temperature shifts which we did experience here in coastal Nova Scotia. I did not mulch around the broccoli which probably would have helped. I cut of the top and although it is late and might not grow new sides, I'm going to leave it and see if it does anyway. You can't eat broccoli once it has flowered. As is the case with many herbs and plants, once it goes to seed it becomes extremely bitter. It really ruins the taste of the plant.

I am very grateful for the rain that fell though, my muscles have been achy. I have been in dire need of a muscle soak in some Epsom salt. Since we have a well, we monitor our water consumption quite heavily during the dry season and conserve where ever possible. After all of that rain, the land is replenished and our well has risen quite a bit. I am looking forward to soaking my sore muscles a great deal.

I harvested some more of my tomatoes, as early as the shine develops on their skin they can be harvested. This is the time to put them away in a dark cool place. When you want a tomato grab any that have started to turn red. If none have turned red just bring a couple up into the light and they will turn red in a few days on their own.

I brought a tomato plant in the house last year and successfully coaxed it to blossom and I harvested an additional two tomatoes, slowly over the course of months using natural lighting. It wasn't much of a yield and the tomatoes were very small but it was really neat to know that I could do it. Maybe someday I'll get a low wattage vegetation light for inside and get a really good start on my crops over the winter.

Cat Wars: Phoenix verses Owl

We've been watching my sisters cat for the last few weeks. She moved to Wolfville and couldn't take her cat with her immediately. My 13 year old volunteered to watch the cat (with our consent) as a favor to my sister until she was able to pick up her cat. I have nicknamed this cat "Owl" because she cranes her head around to examine the room. She has a tendency to playfully sneak up on Phoenix while she is sleeping.

Phoenix is my cat and we've had her for at least 3 years. She adopted me one day late summers day and the rest of the family (namely the hubby) adapted over time. We were never certain if she had been fixed. Not that it matters as she's a feisty one. She growls, hisses and attacks like a feral animal whenever another cat (especially a male cat) comes near her. She also got into the habit of bring home headless bunnies and squirrel bottoms one summer. So, saddened as I was for the loss of some local animals, I lovingly nicknamed her: "Phoenix, the Warrior Nun".  I named her that because one day it occurred to me that my cat is kind of like Xena: The Warrior Princess. She also has many theme songs, including a specific song for "Phoenix, the Warrior Nun".

I've taken a few pictures of this cat war since they have been together. Then I messed around with them in Photoshop for fun. They aren't perfect by any means, but they are comical. At least, I think they are. It started off with these two photos, which slowly morphed into cheesy album covers.

Both of these photos were taken a couple of weeks ago. The final one (below) was shot today... I think it is safe to say that Phoenix has just about had it. Please take special note of Phoenix's warrior nun stance. I take it back, she isn't Xena. She is Cat Norris, the kitty incarnation of Chuck Norris. She doesn't have babies because she tore out her... well maybe it's a tad extreme; but it isn't hard to see her disdain for Owl. I think my sister is picking up her cat tomorrow. That should ensure survival.

Disclaimer: No kitties were harmed in the making of this blog post. I promise.

The Deer Shall Roam

We often have deer grazing underneath our apple trees. The buck is usually somewhere along the tree line keeping an eye/ear out for predators and warns of any approaching threats. This doe was grazing with her two little ones after supper one evening. As you can see, all of their ears are raised. I'm making far too much noise.

A lot of people consider us lucky that if something were to happen we have food roaming freely on our property. I really like watching them though. I wouldn't want to chase them away or make their home less safe. I like the fact that we share the land. Having said that, they tore my garden to shreds this year and I am not amused. I had to move a great deal of vegetables to the small garden. I managed to save a lot of the broccoli and some of the lettuce, fortunately.

Chive Blossoms and other Edible Flowers

My Chives have been blossoming which is fine by me, they are quite beautiful. I love watching things grow, including my kids. Although, sometimes their rate of growth makes me feel a tad "aged". What I find puzzling is that these chive blossoms look like onion blossoms. It IS a chive plant they grew from a package of chive seeds, they taste and otherwise look like the chive plant but have a blossom that resembles that of an onion. 

I found this really wonderful site on edible flowers that I want to share with everyone. So much useful information on that page, I encourage everyone to have a lil peak.

#Review - Delicious Crunchy Cookies @ElfCEO

Enjoy Life sent me their new line of Crunchy Cookies to review. They have 4 flavors, Chocolate Chip, Double Chocolate, Sugar Crisp, Vanilla Honey Graham. These cookies are gluten free, vegan and kosher. They contain no artificial ingredients and are made with a variety of wholesome flours. I personally love that the cookies are free of the 8 most common allergens. A typical serving size is 2 cookies and for those of you counting calories, the Vanilla Honey Graham weighs in at 110 calories per serving.

My favorite was the Sugar crisp cookie hands down with the Vanilla Honey Graham a close second. Both of them had a really sweet taste and that appealed to me. I didn't want to share, it tasted so delicious. In the end, I really had no choice but to share with the children and the hubby.  I need to lead by example and not be a hypocrite. I wouldn't be fair to tell my kids to share and not share with them, not to mention, the kids really do love cookies. The sugar crisp variety was the cookie champion for my oldest son, while the youngest preferred the Double Chocolate. My least favorite cookie was the chocolate chip cookie, it didn't do it for me like the others. One thing I really love about this company is their ingredient glossary.

Disclaimer: I received samples of this product for the purpose of this review. I received no additional compensation for this product and all opinions are my own and based upon my personal experience with the product. 

Carrot Hugs for All!

I love it when vegetables have human characteristics, within reason of course. Too human would look a little creepy and while that could be fun, it isn't quite what I mean. 

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a lover of hugs. They can comfort the wounded and they spread joy. I pulled my little carrot friend here out of the dirt recently and I must say, it looks like it wants to dispense hugs to all the people of the land. Its carrot arms are opened wide for you.

#Cooking: Fresh Garden Salad and Fried Haddock

A few nights ago for supper I made a salad with things from my garden. I had a lettuce that was ready to harvest. I also gathered some chives and placed some of the mystery chive/onion blossoms in a mason jar with some water to make a quaint little centerpiece. I made a sauce with some fresh diced chives, 3/4 vegetable oil and 1/4 vinegar and I salted to taste. I'll use some on the salad tonight but the sauce would have been way better had this been made a couple of weeks in advance.

As a side to this lovely salad I made some haddock. I rolled the fish in eggs first and then rolled it a second time in a mixture comprised of flour, flax seed meal, bread crumbs and dill.  Afterwards, I pan fried them in oil.

I made a tarter sauce for the fish with some mayonnaise, relish, lemon juice and dill. I also finely chopped up a small amount of my mothers bread and butter pickles and added it as it was in a mustard sauce and the hubby thought it might taste good. It did!

The final product looked pretty delicious. Everyone in the family enjoyed it. The fish turned out great and the breaded batter was nice and crispy. 

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Tree Frog Surprise

This little tree frog was a surprise visitor at my house a couple weeks ago. It was evening and the hubby and I often come outside in the evening to watch the moon or listen to the country quiet. As we opened the front door, Mat noticed this little visitor stuck to the front door at about eye level. I think it was just as curious and surprised by us as we were of it. This is the first time I had ever seen a tree frog. I did not know they were local to Nova Scotia.