bareMinerals Ready To Go Complexion Perfection Kit

Review by Lisa VanWilliams

This is great palette for weekend getaways and on-the-go touch ups. It's a lightweight powder that has SeaNutritive Mineral Complex which is suppose to deliver anti-aging benefits for softer, smoother, younger-looking skin. Sign me up -right ?! It has great reviews on Ulta, as 243 people gave it 4.3 out of 5 stars. Ulta Beauty has it on sale now for $34 (instead of $54). BareMinerals offers 8 different color palette's depending on the color of your skin. It's probably best to stop by a store where you can sample & match your skin.

You can see in my before after it covered all my sun spots and blemish. It's not the Eternal Youth Potion Meryl Streep got in the movie Death Becomes Her..but it works great!

Flavor Paper Wallpaper

By Lisa VanWilliams

This is NOT your Grandma's wallpaper. Bring some trendy ambiance into your space with Flavor Paper Wallpaper. They have Elvis, Andy Warhol, Kittens, Flowers, Monaco, Water Scenes, and a couple hundred other choices to pick from. Take a small room or one wall and make it POP with these fabulous wallpapers.

You can find rolls (27" x 15") starting around $150-200+ depending on the print and style you like. You can also order just a sheet (27"x 54") which is less expensive around $50-60+, or a sample swatch for a few bucks.

The eco-friendly wall art company is based out of Brooklyn, NY. They produce wallpaper by hand screened and digital printing. You can totally customize your order art with color specifics and dimensions. They highly recommend using a professional installer.

What's next? Lickable wallpaper like Willy Wonka....yes pleassssse.  The Snozzberries taste like Snozzberries! They even sell scratch and sniff banana wallpaper. For real.

To read more about them or view their products:
https://www.flavorpaper.com/

Here are a few of our favorites!!

Fruits of Design 

Shore Leave

Laced

Favela

Full Spectrum Small Flowers

Mock Rock in Opal & Tit-For-Tatt in Canary

Black Bug

Queen Elizabeth

Burt's Bees Tips n' Toes

Review By Lisa VanWilliams

Stocking stuffer alert! We just tried all of these and it feels like Christmas came early. It's a 6-pack of rich creams and softening butters for around $12 and it includes:

• Almond Milk Hand Cream
• Hand Salve
• Thoroughly Therapeutic Honey & Grapeseed Hand Cream
• Coconut Foot Cream
• Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream
• Replenishing Lip Balm

There's no better way than to try a variety to find out which one is your favorite before you make a full size purchase. I think the Almond Milk Hand Cream and the Replenishing Lip Balm are my two favorites already. The Almond Milk smells incredible and my hands feel nice and soft. The lip balm tastes great on the lips and it feels very hydrating. The Coconut Foot Cream is perfect before bedtime and the Hand Salve will be great for when it's twenty degrees out. The Honey & Grapeseed Hand Cream can be a daily essential for the frequent hand washer who needs some moisture.

Stuffed Peppadew Peppers

By Lisa VanWilliams

This is a sweet African pepper with a kick of heat to it you won't expect (they are a 1200 on the Scoville heat scale). These are GREAT for football game appies. It's often described as a cross between a pepper and a cherry tomato. We get the best tasting peppers from the deli bar at Whole Foods. Then get the garlic and herb flavored goat cheese.  Let the cheese get to room temp then mix in some salt & pepper. Then add in a diced scallion and mix up the cheese. Push the cheese into the peppers with a spoon and your finger and chill until ready to serve. I keep these in the fridge just to snack on. Delicious!!

Leaf Cookies

My daughter informed me pre-coffee at 7:30 a.m. this morning we were making Fall cookies. So, this morning we made Leaf cookies. We found a simple recipe off Betty Crocker and now we are fully stocked with colorful rainbow leaf cookies and she is one happy kid. It was a fun project and I'm happy we had some things to make it work. We had picked up some Fall cookie cutters at Christmas Tree Shop over the weekend for $1.99 and I had some food coloring leftover in my pantry.
Recipe used:
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/leaf-cookies/1b6a7a92-a776-496f-a2a0-a5167206b471

Still in our jammies!

First few ingredients

Eggs and vanilla added, then flour next

Split into 3 & add color, mix well

Roll into balls and flour dough and rolling pin

Add flour as needed, and you may need to put back in fridge for ten mins so it's easier to work with

Connecticut Restaurant Week October 12-18th

Connecticut Restaurant Week Returns 10/12-18. Many participating restaurants w/ $20.15 price fix menus. Complete list available at:
http://www.ctrestaurant.org/restaurantweekparticipants2015

Check back for new add ons

Millwright's Simsbury, CT

Bug Eating Carnivorous Plants

By Lisa VanWilliams

Bug your kids out literally with these cool bug/insect eating carnivorous plants. That perfect "something creepy" for the month of October! Whole Foods was carrying two kinds at two different prices. The kids really get a kick out of these and they can't wait to see how it all works.

Charles Darwin called The Venus Fly Trap "one of the most wonderful plants in the world" because of it's elaborate ability to trap and break down insects. Ants, flies, spiders, and beetles can be safely fed to your very own plant. They like bright light, moist soil, and good drainage.

*http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/15/science/plants-that-are-predators.html