Me, I say it’s nothing more than snow-plows scraping the cement when clearing large areas.  I’ve heard similar sounds my whole life living here. 

At least I hope so, because some people are going bat-shit crazy with end-of-days theories. Yikes!

This first two are from North Battleford, SK the city I live in right now (ok that does make it seem a little more creepy since it’s like right here.)

What do you do to add a touch of romance to the room?  Candles used to be my go-to method but since having kids they have been collecting dust in my basement.  It’s just too risky to have candles lit with little ones running around but since I discovered Scentsy a few years ago, I can still have a fabulous smelling house and a warm ambiance glow from the warmer as well.  With Valentine’s Day coming up, Scentsy has some fabulous new products to help add a touch of romance and spice to your household decor.

The February Scent of the Month (a scent not available in the regular catalog) is called Pixie – it’s described as a mischievous moonscape of pink pepper, mandarin, and heliotrope, deepened by exotic teakwood and vanilla oak.

Creating scents, and then their descriptions is something I’ve always been curious about – who has this job and how do they become so creative with their descriptions?  I learned a little about this in October when I visited Scentsy’s head office in Idaho and participated in a Fragrance Training session with Scentsy’s fragrance guru David Weymouth!

I learned how fragrances typically have a pyramid of scents known as top notes, mid notes, and dry notes – so your favorite fragrance (Scentsy or otherwise) is actually a combination of scents rather than one single note.

During our training, we discussed some of our favorite scents and asked why single note Scentsy fragrances weren’t available.  Little did we know what Scentsy was already working on…

New for 2012, Scentsy introduces ScenTrend – a look at the most up-and-coming scent you’re going to see everywhere in 2012 – Pink Pepper!

A study in contrasts, Pink Pepper’s multidimensional nature exudes sweet, floral yet spicy aromas, giving it appeal as both a gourmand and romance fragrance note. Distilled from the rose-hued berries of the Peruvian pepper tree and used as a spice in cooking, Pink Pepper has a dry, fresh scent with hints of angelica and juniper-like notes. This bold yet warm fragrance stimulates renewed energy in any environment.

Pink Pepper is a single note fragrance – this way you can mix it with some of your favorite Scentsy fragrances and as they warm together, an entirely new scent will emerge.  You can spice up your Scentsy experience by using ScenTrend Pink Pepper with the following Scentsy fragrances:

~ Amber Road
~ Paradise Punch
~ Love Story
~ Hendrix
~ Imperial City
~ Pixie

I received both Pixie and Pink Pepper to try over the past week or two. Pink Pepper definitely has a spicy/peppery fragrance. Of the scents it mixes well with, I knew I had Love Story and was eager to see what could be created by mixing the two since I find Love Story to be a warm, soft, perfume-like scent (I actually have the Solid Perfume in Love Story).

Adding Pink Pepper to Love Story definitely spiced things up – it was a great pairing and definitely great for a bedroom or den.  Mixing Pink Pepper with Amber Road – a fragrance that I find already powerful on it’s own, really amped it up even more.  It was fun to experiment with scents having some direction from Scentsy.

Keep your eyes (and nose!) open for Pink Pepper in 2012 in other brands and products as it’s slated to be THE fragrance of the year.  Of course, by the time your friends are talking about it, it will be old news to you because you’re so on top of things thanks to Scentsy!

To help celebrate the launch of ScenTrend and of course bring some spice to your February, Scentsy is offering my readers an awesome giveaway you’re going to love!  One of my readers is going to win the following from Scentsy:

~ Scentsy Warmer of the winner’s choice
~ Pixie Bar
~ Pink Pepper Bar
~ Paradise Punch Bar
~ Imperial City Bar
~ Hendrix Bar
~ Love Story Solid Perfume

Wow!! Are you excited?! To enter to win, just leave me a comment here telling me what your current favorite scent from Scentsy is!

For additional entries:
~ Subscribe via email or Reader
~ Grab my button
~ Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link
~ Follow @FeistyFrugal and @Scentsy on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway (RT 1x per day)  Love Scentsy? Enter to win a HUGE @scentsy prize pack http://bit.ly/wOdhE0 @FeistyFrugal featuring Pink Pepper products! #ScenTrend
~ Like Feisty Frugal and Fabulous on Facebook (please leave your first name and last initial so I can find you as a fan)
~ Click Share on my Facebook post about this giveaway, to tell your friends!

This giveaway will end on March 1st at 9PM CT . Giveaway is open to Canadian and US addresses.

It’s February and appropriately so, I’m in love! Last month I was given a sneak peak at the decadent and luxurious line of Chocomania bath & body products from The Body Shop and I’ve been telling friends about them since!  They’re not available in stores until February 6th but I’m telling you, once they are – GO to The Body Shop and check them out!

Chocomania has pleasantly surprised me.  I’m not a fan of chocolate-smelling bath and body products.  I had some from another brand a few years ago and the bottle sat mostly unused in my closet until I gave it away before moving.  I just didn’t understand why a person would want to smell like chocolate.  I learned that it was just that brand – if you develop it right, with rich luxurious (not to  mention fair trade!) ingredients like The Body Shop did, the final result is amaaazzzzing!

Of course, Chocomania products from The Body Shop smell like chocolate, but if you are fan of cocoa butter or vanilla, you are going to fall over yourself with this scent! I love that it’s not just chocolate, it has a sweet almost musky scent to me and using Chocomania products in the shower and then after wards applying the Lotion of Body Butter leaves my skin smelling so good!

My favorite Chocomania product is the Body Scrub!  When I opened it in the shower the first time my immediate reaction was that it looked like chocolate icing.  Hmmm, chocolate icing in the shower!  Resisting the urge to eat it, I used it on my body and not only got a great exfoliation treatment but also had super soft great-smelling skin after wards!  It’s also awesome to use before shaving your legs.

The kids of course love my (yes I said MY) Chocomania products too!  I let them use the Shower Cream with a bath-puff in the shower to lather up.  If you’re looking for a Valentine’s Day gift for kids, Chocomania is a great idea because you know you’re getting a quality bath product (unlike the bath foams you can buy at the department stores that are cheaply made but sell because they have a princess or race car on the front of the bottle).

1 of my Canadian readers is going to win a $100 Chocomania Prize Pack courtesy of The Body Shop!  To enter to win, just leave me a comment here telling me what your current favorite product is from The Body Shop (you never know, Chocomania might become your new fave once you check it out in stores Feb 6th!)

For additional entries:
~ Subscribe via email or Reader
~ Grab my button
~ Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link
~ Follow @FeistyFrugal on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway (RT 1x per day)  Chocomania is coming to @TheBodyShopCA Feb 6th and I entered to win a $100 PRIZE PACK! http://bit.ly/wb4oxh @FeistyFrugal (CDN only)
~ Like Feisty Frugal and Fabulous on Facebook (please leave your first name and last initial so I can find you as a fan)
~ Click Share on my Facebook post about this giveaway, to tell your friends!

This giveaway will end on February 29th at 9PM CT . Giveaway is open to Canadian addresses only.

At Bumbleride, safety is our number one priority, and honest communication is at the very core of our foundation.

We have identified a safety concern affecting a small percentage of our customers (0.1%) regarding the front wheels of certain Indie and Indie Twin models. We’ve learned that there is a possibility that the front wheel can crack or break at the central axle hub, resulting in a potential tipping and fall hazard. In conjunction with the Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, we are working diligently to resolve this issue immediately.

Working with an independent laboratory, our engineers found that by developing a retrofit kit that can be easily installed onto the front wheel, the strength of the wheel significantly increases and when tested along side the original wheel, does not break under similar force.

If you own a Bumbleride Indie manufactured between January 2009 and September 2011, or an Indie Twin manufactured between January 2009 and August 2011, please discontinue use of your stroller and apply for a wheel retrofit kit here, www.support.bumbleride.com. Please allow up two weeks for delivery. For more information about the front wheel safety concern, visit www.support.bumbleride.com .

You can determine the Date of Manufacture on all Indie models by reading the white label affixed to the side of the stroller. The Indie Twin Date of Manufacture can be found on a white label affixed to the underside of the handle (please see below).

We are confident that our Wheel Retrofit Kit will resolve the issue outlined above, and apologize for the inconvenience this issue may have caused you.

Sincerely,
Matthew Reichardt
CEO
Bumbleride

“I love being married. It’s so great to find one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.” – Rita Rudner

“Never go to bed mad — stay up and fight.” – Phyllis Diller

“Anyone can be passionate, but it takes real lovers to be silly.” – Rose Franken

“There’s a calm surrender to the rush of day When the heat of the rolling world can be turned away An enchanted moment, and it sees me through It’s enough for this restless warrior just to be with you” – Elton John

“I don’t understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine’s Day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon.” – Author Unknown

“I love you like a fat kid loves cake.” – 50 Cent

“Love is an electric blanket with somebody else in control of the switch.” – Cathy Carlyle

“It’s funny how we set qualifications to the right person to love, when we know at the back of our heads the person whom we truly love will always be an exception.” – Ally McBeal

The Creative Crescent Recipe Sweepstakes is in full swing right now and US residents that vote on their favorite recipe from those submitted by 30 Bloggers will be entered to win a $1000 Grocery Gift Card!

As of writing this on February 1st, my Creamy Chicken Bites recipe is at 199 votes!  It’s not quite in the lead (there’s 3 ahead of me) but it’s up there, so thanks so much to those of you that have already voted and entered to win!

Creamy Chicken Bites is a favorite in our household, and because they freeze great they also make great lunch-box meals or at-home snacks after school as well!  Check out the recipe (click on any of the links or the photo above) and vote if you feel inclined – remember that your vote gets you entered to win $1000 Grocery Shopping Spree!

There are a ton of other great Pillsbury Crescent Roll recipes there as well and several that I want to print the recipes for to try – who knew there were so many options with crescent rolls?!

The contest rules state you can vote once per person per day, so make sure you come back to vote and get your entries in for that $1000 Grocery Gift Card!!

I’m part of a competition, of sorts, with 30 bloggers to see which recipe readers vote as their favorite! Some of the bloggers chosen to submit recipes are incredible food bloggers so I have no doubt there will be some delicious recipes submitted.

Vote for my Creative Crescent Recipe and you’ll be entered to win a $1,000 grocery gift card!

Find more quick and easy Pillsbury recipes at www.CreativeCrescents.com.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Pillsbury. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Contest Rules.

35.

Mid-thirties.

GAH!!!  When did that happen?!

Growing up, you relate age to people.  Like, you look at your parents and think, “That’s what 50 is.”

My mom just shy of 37 when she had me.  And that was like, old.  She also happened to have 3 teenagers in the house by then too (surprise!!)

So here I am at 35.

Married 10 years to a man who treats me like a queen (he really is my knight in shining armor!), with 3 beautiful kids and a happy life doing what I wanted to (and what I explained when we dated at 22 – I knew I was going to be a stay at home mama.)

A bustling high powered career that my kids can bring me in to school to talk about?  Not really.

Yet somehow this bloggy thing has turned into something I never imagined it to (thanks to every single one of you!) and I can teach my kids how to be an entrepreneur while still being at home to wipe snotty noses and (fail at) baking cupcakes for school.

Is this the life I dreamed of as a little girl when I looked ahead to 35?

No.

It’s so much better than that!

The 46th Super Bowl will take place on February 5, 2012 at Lucas Oil Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 ET on NBC and regardless if you’re a football fan or not, chances are you will be tuning in at some point even if it’s just to check out the famous Super Bowl commercials or the half time show to see what could possibly go wrong.

This year, Madonna is performing and it’s been recently announced that Nicki Minaj will join her on stage – this is what I’m most looking forward to for Super Bowl 46!

To help get ready for your Super Bowl party, Orville.ca has a great selection of party recipes sure to please (and super easy to make so you’re not stuck stressing over food prep!)

Check out this easy recipe for Buffalo-Style Hot Popcorn from Orville.ca!

To help celebrate Super Bowl 46 – and any gathering where you get to get together and snack happy – I have an Orville Super Bowl Giveaway!  One of my Canadian readers is going to win the prize pack seen above with a total value of $100 in product.  Since Super Bowl 46 is so close, this prize pack won’t be to the winner in time for that event but I’m positive the winner will find a time to use it well!

To enter to win just leave me a comment here telling me your plans for Super Bowl Sunday!  Do you watch everything, or just tune in for the commercials or half time show?

For additional entries:
~ Subscribe via email or Reader
~ Grab my button
~ Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link
~ Follow @FeistyFrugal on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway (RT 1x per day)  I entered to win the Orville Super Bowl Giveaway http://bit.ly/ypRcVz @FeistyFrugal (Canada only)
~ Like Feisty Frugal and Fabulous on Facebook (please leave your first name and last initial so I can find you as a fan)
~ Click SHARE on my Facebook post about this giveaway, to tell your friends!

This giveaway will end on February 7th at 9PM CT . Giveaway is open to Canadian addresses only.
]]> http://feistyfrugalandfabulous.com/2012/01/orville-super-bowl-giveaway/feed/ 456 http://feistyfrugalandfabulous.com/2012/01/cloves-for-dry-socket/ http://feistyfrugalandfabulous.com/2012/01/cloves-for-dry-socket/#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:56:31 +0000 Tenille ~ Feisty Frugal & Fabulous http://feistyfrugalandfabulous.com/?p=15467 Today has been a week since I had 3 impacted wisdom teeth surgically removed. By surgically I mean I was completely unaware of the world around me via some wonderful IV sedation.

The pain I woke up though was nothing compared to what I’ve been enduring all week, progressively getting worse, not better.

I went to my regular dentist on Thursday complaining of pain, sure that I had a dry socket and unfortunately she couldn’t diagnose it because I could barely open my mouth for her to get in and take a peek.

By Saturday, the pain was unbearable and I called my husband home from work – sobbing something about being a weak mother and incapable of taking care of my kids with a “damned toothache”.

Frustrated, I called my oral surgeon who happened to be on call on the weekend and he faxed a second Rx of heavy drugs, which again didn’t work.

In the course of 7 days I have carried around some pretty potent pills making my purse resemble that of a Beverly Hills Housewife.  Percocet did nothing but make me sleep.  Hydromorphone didn’t even do that.

What finally, finally, brought relief was something I had in my pantry the whole time.

Cloves.

I am not one to turn to natural remedies first.  I’m a “let’s drug it til it falls over” kind of medicinal mama (which apparently, according to the drugs I’ve taken this week means a lot more than I thought).

Frustrated with my tears, my husband called a dental-hygienist friend and we discovered that the paste used in the dentist’s office to treat dry socket (most assuredly what I have) is actually made with cloves.

After a little Google homework, my husband made clove oil at home for treating dry socket.  What you see in the photo is ground cloves in a teabag, tied shut with dental floss, sitting in olive oil after being warmed.  The oil is actually supposed to sit for 7 days for full effectiveness, so it didn’t do the trick as quickly as something so much simpler did.

We took ground cloves from the pantry, added in a few drops of water to make a paste, then rubbed the paste onto gauze and packed it on the wound.  As I sit here typing this I have this miracle remedy in my mouth and feel 90% relief.

Unbelievable and a true testament to what natural remedies can do that pharmaceuticals can not.  After telling my mom about our discovery she shared that this is something her parents and grandparents did for years for toothaches.  I love when the original way still prevails today!

Color me green.

Ms. Brown was revealed today and I have to say, I love her feisty look, don’t you?  I received this awesome photo in my email today – you just can’t beat a personalized, autographed photo of an M&M’s character!

Of course, the 578 people that entered the $90 M &M’s Prize Pack Giveaway this week may beg to differ – that’s a pretty sweet (heh.) prize!

I just picked the winner, and congrats are going out to Andrea B!  Emailing you now!