Blissful Home: Rhubarb Fine Bone China Sugar (or Stevia) Holder

One scoop or two?

Growing up, my mom always had a jar of sugar on her kitchen countertop for all her cooking needs. Now that I have my own kitchen, I've been on the lookout for a cute sugar jar. I was happy to find an adorable and classic covered jar by the company Rhubarb at TJ Maxx. The jar is simple, classic, and timeless in all white with an adorable round shape. It's part of Rhubarb's fine bone china collection. I love how it matches my white water pitcher that I use daily to fill my Berkey Water Filter. I love classic white bone china cookware and serveware, which goes with just about any kitchen design. But the best part has to be the price: original retail price of $9.95, available online for $7.00, but I got it for only...$3.50!!! I love TJ Maxx!

Beauty Bliss: 100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Mascara

Hi everyone! I am reposting this entry with a few updates now that I've tried the product for a longer time period, and also now I have video review available on Youtube. Click Here to see my video review.

Product Breakdown: 
Brand: 100% Pure
Product Name: Fruit Pigmented Ultra Lengthening Mascara
Colors Available: Black Tea, Blackberry, Blueberry, & Dark Chocolate 
Size: 7grams/0.24oz
Cost: $18.00

I discovered this product while searching for a natural mascara without artificial colors/harsh chemicals. I found that almost all the natural mascaras were $20 or more, with  only a few exception. My first reaction was that $18.00 is a high price for a tube of mascara and I actually bought a semi-natural, less pure brand first for a fraction of the cost (by Physician's Formula). Then I read about all the harmful ingredients in it and how it really wasn't that natural after all. Plus I found the Physician's Formula Mascara to clump a lot. So I ditched that and went back to searching for a natural mascara for an affordable price. That's when I found this mascara--and by that point in the search, $18 for something truly pure and high quality seemed like a better deal to me. So I tried it out and I've been using it for over 2 months. I should also point out that a tube of mascara is good for 3 months (unless you have an eye infection, in which case you need to toss it imediately), so this product only costs you $6 per month.

I ordered 100% Pure's Blackberry Mascara, but it does come in other varieties (see above product breakdown). When I read the ingredients list of my mascara I was very impressed! Blackberries, raspberries, rosemary, oh my! I was so glad to see it was actually natural! I've seen so many other products say "natural" on the front of the packaging, but then list artificial ingredients and harmful chemicals on the back in very, very fine print.

This mascara really lengthens and separates your lashes and doesn't clump for at least the first month of use--after that you might get some minimal clumping, but not much. 

I also have to mention that this is the best smelling mascara I have ever come across--and I've tried quite a few. For more product details and to see how the packaging looks, check out my Youtube review by CLICKING HERE.

CLICK HERE to View 100% Pure's Website

Beauty Bliss: Soothe your Lips with Alba Botanica Natural Lip Balm

Autumn is here and that means it's the beginning of chapped lip season! So here's my pick for a lip balm that's natural, inexpensive, and works great: Alba Botanica Natural Hawaiian Lip Balm, in Nourishing Coconut Cream. 

This lip balm moisturizes your lips with natural and organic ingredients such as coconut oil, rosemary extract, and aloe. And, unlike Burt's Bees products, this lip balm does NOT make your lips tingle! It's made up of 100% vegetarian ingredients and there's no animal testing in the making of this product. Plus it's soft coconut scent is dreamy. To see my YouTube Video Review of this product, CLICK HERE.

The Cosmetics Database gives this product a great GREEN RATING! Click Here to view Skin Deep Cosmetics Database details for this product.

Dining Bliss: Viva's Chicken Cobb Panini

I had dining bliss today for lunch...a Chicken Cobb Panini from Viva! I got it as part of their $6.99 Lunch Entree Special, where you choose 1/2 salad or a cup of soup and pair it with 1/2 wrap or 1/2 panini. (I paired my panini with a cup of their Loaded Baked Potato Soup, but that's another blog entry!)

This panini is stuffed with grilled chicken, bacon slices, fresh avocado, lettuce, and sliced tomatoes. The panini usually comes with blue cheese and honey mustard dressing, but I substituted their amazing Parmesan dressing instead of the honey mustard and skipped the blue cheese all together.

The panini is served with two toothpicks, one stabbing a black olive and the other a grape tomatoe--so the presentation is executed quite nicely.

My Ratings:
(each category is on a 0 to 5 scale with 5 being the best)
 
Bread Rating:4.5

Meat Rating: 5 

Cheese Rating: N/A

Toppings: 5

Dressing: 5

Overall Rating: 4.9

I definitely recommend this signature Viva Sandwich. 
Click here to see Viva's Lunch Menu and Dinner Menu!

Blissful Bites: Trader Joe's Chocolatey Coated Dunkers!

One of my favorite snacks during college and ever since is Trader Joe's Chocolatey Coated Chocolate Chip Cookie Dunkers! They're basically natural chocolate chip cookies in an elongated shape (perfect for milk dunking) and dipped in extra chocolate on one side for optimal sweetness. No more cookies too big to dunk in your milk glass. No more preservative-packed snacks. These dunkers are the real deal.

My favorite way to eat them: Pair them with Trader Joe's 100% All Natural Creamy Salted Peanut Butter by spreading the peanut butter directly onto the flat, fudgy side of the cookie. Then feel free to dunk into some almond milk or raw milk or just sip on some milk on the side. Marvelous.

Note: Trader Joe's also makes dunkers without the extra chocolate coating, which are simply called Chocolate Chip Dunkers. Those are good too, but not as good as the Chocolatey Coated Chocolate Chip Cookie Dunkers.

Click Here to find a Trader Joe's near you!

Beauty Bliss: Sukin Moisture Restoring Conditioner

I think I've found one of the best working and smelling conditioners ever created...plus it's all natural!!! It's called Moisture Restoring Conditioner by Sukin Australian Natural Skincare.


I found this product at one of my all-time favorite stores, TJ Maxx. It was in their skincare/hair care section along with other natural and non-natural products. I was pulled in when I saw on the description that it's for "dry/damaged hair" with a picture of avocados on it. I know avocados are a natural way to get a highly moisturizing formula. Other ingredients in this conditioner that add to its moisturizing action are aloe vera, cocoa butter, jojoba oil, wheat germ, and rosehip oil. I also know that my dry, naturally curly hair needs all the moisture it can get. 

In addition to its highly moisturizing ingredients, this product also contains other natural oils and extracts that give it an amazing smell. Some of these are: Tangerine Peel Oil, Mandarin Orange Peel Oil, Lavendar Oil, and Vanilla Extract. Imagine: fresh citrus fruits, mixed with lavendar, mixed with vanilla, all in the same whiff! This is the best smelling hair product I've ever used!

And it gets better. When I read the label further, I was happy to find this product is Sulfate & Paraben free. This is great because I like to use conditioner on my whole head of hair and massage it into my scalp to get the product on my roots. This really helps control frizz, hydrates my curls, and makes my hair healthier from root-to-tip. So, being a chemically concious woman, I know massaging any product into my roots/scalp that contains toxins like Sulfates and Parabens is a big no-no. This is because these substances and their by products have been linked to skin/eye irritation, liver & kidney damage, and the big C--Cancer. And knowing that a portion of this product will enter my body through my skin pores, I don't want to take any risks. 

Other harmful agents NOT found in this product are: artificial colors, synthetic fragrances, petro-chemicals, animal derivatives, mineral oils, triethanolamine, and harsh detergents. This is a carbon neutral product and comes in a recyclable container. Plus, this is a cruelty-free product because it is not tested on animals.
 
On a personal note, I'll share that back in my sulfate/paraben product using days and when I used to eat non-natural foods containing harmful substances such as nitrates and nitrites, I would get headaches and migraines much more frequently--sometimes daily for weeks. Now I get headaches far less often and migraines very rarely--and when I do they appear to be linked to stress. Without entering myself into a scientific study, it's really hard to say why the frequency and intensity of my headaches & migraines decreased so much over the past 5 to 6 years as I slowly transformed into the Naturally Blissful Wife.

This product can be purchased on Amazon and other online stores; however, I found thatTJ Maxx and Marshalls sell it for the lowest price. The only downside to TJ Maxx & Marshalls is the frequent inventory and price changes, making it truly "hit or miss" style shopping, especially with all-natural items. Of course, that makes it even more exciting when you discover a great deal!

Click Here to watch my YouTube video about this product and my other favorite natural conditioner.

Hubby Review: Raw Milk from Wholesome Dairy Farm

The raw milk from Wholesome Dairy Farm in Yellow House, PA comes from grass-fed cows with no added hormones. The hubby likes it because it's a great source of raw, unheated proteins, vitamins, and minerals. This milk does not contain any synthetic chemicals or preservatives of any kind. The cows are millked in a particular way to decrease the amount of bacteria in the milk. Drinking one cup of this milk really rejuvenates the hubby physically and mentally. This milk is refreshing anytime of day, from early morning to before bed. Although this milk can be bought from various food stores and markets, Hubby recommends purchasing it direct from the farm. One bonus of buying direct is every tenth gallon you purchase is free with punch-out card. While you're there, you can even meet the cows!