The Haul

[amazon_syren]

Avast Ye, Maties, and prepare to be...Uh... bored.
Um.
<*cough*>
Here I shall speak of (not-really-pirate) booty. :-)

***
Right, enough of that. :-)

This is what turned up in my stocking and under the various trees on Sunday.
:-)

Ahem: Lots and lots of kitchen stuff. :-D
No more will I have to deal with rusted out slotted spoons and tetnus-inducing flippers!
No more will I fear the potential burns that come from taking something heavy and glass out of the oven with mere pot-holders!
No more need I endure stuck muffins that tear when I try to take them out of the pan!

For yea, I have recieved many a stainless-steel kitchen tool (a ball-whisk, two flippers, and a mesh strainer, as well as wooden spoons and an electric hand-mixer! Woohoo!). Likewise, did I recieve a pair of oven mits (and a tea towel), and a silicone muffin tin. Verily it is so! :-)

(Next on the list of things to acquire: A Kitchen Utensils dish that is really bottom-heavy and not likely to over balance. Also at least one more whisk, a couple of slotted spoons, and a ladel or two).


I also got purple sock-slippers (from indonesia, I'm sure) and a new night gown that buttons all the way down the front. (Yay flannel!)

My brother gave me Anansi Boys, which I'm thrilled about. :-) (And my sister-in-law-to-be gave me "The Streets of Ankh Morepork" and "A Tourist's Guide to Lancre", although they haven't yet arrived. I'm totally excited for when they do, though. :-)

Paul's parents gave us a set of <*gasp*> egyptian cotton towels to go with our bathroom. :-) (They're slightly more purple-grey, but I am so not worried about that. :-) They are getting washed today. :-)
(Yesterday was laundry and dishes day. It was long. ;-)

Paul got me "Kingdom of Heaven" (DVD) and he made a selection of lotions and what not (PR Products, not available in stores) -- there's a lavender hand lotion (that I can't use on days when I see Shelley), a peppermint pain-relief gel, some sort of hair conditioner (which I haven't tried yet). He also made a honey-and-australian-clay exfoliating mask. It actually works. :-) My face still feels smooth, and not oily, and it's been two days. :-)
Woohoo! :-)

(I got him "The Way of the Shaman" (Michael Harner), for Solstice, plus Cradle of Filth's "Dusk... And Her Embrace" and Green Day's "Bullet in a Bible", which he opened on Christmas. :-) He liked them all. :-) Santa brought him "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", which we watched last night. Man, that boy is screwed up. :-)

My Mom got me two HIM CDs ("Greatest Love Songs Vol. 666", and "Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights"). I enjoy that band so much. They're like Angst in a Box with pretty music to boot. :-) It's just wonderful. :-)
My cousin, Bill (by-which I mean: My Aunt Donna, doing the shopping for my cousin Bill), got me "Hide from the Sun" by The Rasmus. I'm enchanted. The songs are all very sad, but they are also very pretty. So delightful and easy to dance to. :-) (Also featuring Cello work by the boys from Apocalyptica. Whee!)
A taste for Finnish Music? Me? What ever do you mean? ;-)

'Bill' also gave me a gift certificate for future shop. Allegedly they have some nice CDs.
I will now have to find a future shop in Ottawa. (Yes I know they exist, I'm just not sure where). Phone-book, here I come. ;-)


Anywhoo, those were the highlights. :-)

Random, for Hyel: Is Borogravia the DW version of, say, Vyborg? (The former Duchy, I mean, not the contemporary city). Albeit possibly with extra mountains added...


And now, on to the perfume:

Zombi: "Roses, damp earth, and moss" I think is the site description. And on me it smells mostly like damp roses. Roses and... "something else"... that darkens it and keeps the roses cent from being over-powering. I'm not personally wild about it, but it's not bad.

Dragon's Hide: Dragon's Blood, Smoke, and Leather, according to the site. When it goes on wet, it's very smoky, but the smoke clears fairly quickly and you're left with a leathery floral smell. It's interesting. I like it, but it's not something I think of as a "me" smell. That being said, I'm very curious now to try "Highway Man" or "Dee".

Velvet: Sandalwood, cocoa, vanilla, and myrrh, according to the site. When it goes on wet, I smell like a brownie. :-) The myrrh and/or sandalwood take(s) over pretty quickly though, but it's not bad. The vanilla and cocoa notes are still there when you get close to the skin. This one is nice, although not something I'm going to get a big bottle of. ;-)

I'm going to re-try Mata Hare and see if it's as over-poweringly floral as I remember.
I seem to be narrowing down the kind of smells I like, and that apparently like me.
Remarkably, it fits the following very familiar nursery rhyme:

What are little girls made of?
what are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice, and everything nice,
That's what little girls are made of.

So there you have it. I am a girly girl, after all. :-) (If anyone is surprised by this, you've clearly never met me. ;-)

As such, my next set of samples to try (although I'll probably be getting a nice big bottle of Blood Kiss on top of that) are:

O: Honey, Amber, Vanilla (which I'm told smells like sex on a stick)

Jezebel: Honey, roses, orange blossoms, and sandalwood.

Blood: Dragon's Blood, Mhyrr, Cherry, and Clove. (Because if Blood Kiss smells good, this probably will, too).

Queen of Sheba: Honey, almonds, and spices.

Sudha Segara: Sweet milk and warm, healing ginger with a touch of golden honey and our blend of Ambrosia.

Highway Man: Vetiver with gardenia, blood red rose, night-blooming jasmine, a dash of cinnamon and a faint hint of leather. (Because I'm curious about the leather scent... Hm...)
or
Intrigue: Black palm, cocoa, fig, and "wooded notes".
Not sure which, yet... :-)


And that's my update. :-)

Time for breakfast, music and a shower. :-) And lots and lots of exams. <*sigh*> But they must be done.

- Nam'ara,
- Amazon. :-)