Apple Picking in Warwick, NY

Hi friends,

Two week ends ago we went apple picking at our regular spot in Warwick, NY. It was a beautiful day.

 

 

We go to Warwick at least twice a year and it is always a beautiful ride. Our first stop is always Penning's Farmers Market for lunch and pumpkin field pictures.

 

 

 

They have a beautiful garden center with plenty to look at and a Farm Market where you can buy delicious apple butter and fresh pumpkins for the fall.

 

 

 

 
Some Fall and Halloween décor for sale, I thought the prices were inflated because of the season and all the apple pickers this time of year!

 

Across the parking lot, there is a guy who makes these amazing wood sculptures using a chainsaw, a drill and a dremmel!

 

Here's part of my lunch: their signature apple crisp salad with homemade dressing.

 

Every year we take pictures of the boys by the pumpkin patch...It's become a tradition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apple picking was amazing this year, it was unbelievably crowded, but our favorite apples (Empire) were absolutely delicious! We picked just under 45 lbs worth of apples at Ochs Orchard which is the only one we go to since they carry our favorite apples!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I even took a video of the entire trip so you can enjoy it as well!

 

 

 



 



Thank you for watching!



You can find me on FACEBOOK and YOUTUBE.

Sophia, NJ.

 

* This blog contains affiliate advertising but I was not solicited to advertise for Pennings Farm Market or Ochs Orchard. All opinions are my own.

EcoEmi - August 2013 - full review

Hi friends,

Wow! Am I late with this review or what? I think that moving forward, instead of having a separate open box and then a full review, I might as well go straight into the review, that will save me some time.

Anyway, this was not a great box, at first impression, but it did redeem itself in the end.
 

 

 Here is the review:

 

VALENTI ORGANICS - B

CARROT, GRAPEFRUIT & EGYPTIAN GERANIUM ROSE - BODY LOTION

$21.00/8 oz.  and  

CAFE MACHIATTO - BODY OIL - D

$24.00/4 oz.

 

So, I had never heard of this brand and I can see why, it's just so, so. I started with the geranium lotion, which was nicely scented, a bit too much actually and I was glad I used it at night because it would have interfered with my perfume during the day. As a lotion, I felt it did the job of moisturizing, but there was nothing extraordinary about the formula. It absorbed well and that's just about it. Again, the scent was very nice and very true to geranium and rose, but does it really require to dish out $21? I don't think so.

Now on to the oil. Run away from this thing first, because it will run away from you! having forgotten the darn sample was for oil, I went ahead with my big gigantic hands and ripped that packet open like there was nothing to it. Sure enough the whole thing sort of exploded on me, half of the oil landing on the tile floor!

Whatever I salvaged smelled horrible and nothing like Café Machiatto. In fact, I could not even determine what it smelled like. More like a rancid nut, if you ask me. So why am I not giving it a massive fail? The formula was actually okay and as an oil it spread on nicely, absorbed well and did not leave a shinny, greasy residue on my skin. Other than that, I really could not find anything in it to persuade me to spend $24 on a bottle half the size of the lotion above.

 

CRAFTSMAN SOAP  - A

NATURAL LEMONGRASS SOAP WITH FRENCH YELLOW CLAY   $6.50

 

This was actually a very nice soap to use on my face and I finished the entire sample. I really liked the light lemongrass scent and found the soap quality to be excellent, in fact it lasted for almost the entire month. I had mentioned that I am not a big fan of using soap for my face, but this one did not dry my skin at all and removed almost all of my makeup (there is always added work required in the mascara department). I would purchase this, for sure. I am rushing to it, no, but if I ever see this soap in a boutique or a farmer's market, I would definitely buy a few bars.

 

COCO LAQUER - F

TIFFANY COLOR NAIL POLISH $6.00

I said in the open box post that I would keep it simple and short by letting you know I thought it was just plain H-I-D-E-O-U-S! And it still is! The color is atrocious. I know that it is a trend right now to wear all these fancy colors on nails and some of them I kind of like, for instance the dark purples and the dark blues...But quite frankly, anything green should just be banned - period. This is such a horrible color! Now to be fair, I did apply this thing on all my nails just to check the quality and the texture and I found it to be too liquid, requiring too many coats, and taking forever to dry in between coats. It also peeled off my nails almost instantly. So - yeah...it's trash and Wet 'n Wild has a better formulation.

 

GOURMET BODY TREATS - B

NATURAL EYE SHADOW in GUN METAL GRAY   $18.99 0.23/oz  

 

This is a good eye shadow but quite frankly, I am not sure what would justify such a high price tag! For crying out loud it's just crushed minerals! The color is very nice, a dark, shimmery gray, leaning towards charcoal once applied as opposed to gunmetal/steel. unfortunately, and though it has long lasting wear, the stuff gets all over your face when you apply it, so unless you're super proficient at applying loose eye shadow, know that this one will fall off your lids as it is applied with a brush and smudge all over your cheeks if you re not careful. I don't have time for that nonsense when I get dressed in the morning, and at that price, I am definitely have even less patience. That said, if you have a special event and all the time in the world, it is a very high quality shadow.

   

 

EAT GREEN TEA - C+

EDIBLE GREEN TEA $25.00 / 100g    

I like the taste of green tea and was excited to try this. Could I live without it? Absolutely, it's the kind of stuff you would find interesting at some hoopla restaurant and make a big deal about it to your friends, like it was something special or something like that, but outside of the experience and novelty factor, I am, again, not rushing to the store to get me some. I still prefer to have my green tea in liquid format. This had a nice crunch to it, but after a while it took over my entire salad and all I could taste was green tea and red onions, I can't say it's the greatest of combinations, not like Jelly Belly is going to make it a new flavor, if you know what I mean!

 

ARTISANA - A

RAW ORGANIC WALNUT BUTTER $11.33 / 8oz  

 

This was delicious! I absolutely loved it and would definitely purchase it (if only I could find it at my local store first). It has the texture of creamy peanut butter with a very nice walnut flavor, not the kind that has stayed a bit too long in the package, it definitely tastes fresh minus the annoying skin. I also did not find it to be greasy nor messy. I ate mine on thin celery slices and quite frankly, it was very filling. It would be a great snack on the go or at work.  I am recommending this to those of you who are health conscious and want to make a few snack adjustments here and there without feeling taste deprived.

HOME FREE TREAT - B-

GLUTEN FREE DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP MINI COOKIES $1.49 / bag  

 

I am not sure, but I think this is the same rating I gave the other bag of chocolate chip cookies from the same brand I had received a few months back. They taste like chocolate, but feel very airy, light and totally not filling. I would rather snack on one of those 100 calories snack pack than these. Maybe it's the lack of gluten that turns me off, I am not sure, but I really don't see the big deal about these cookies. They're just too light and obviously way too healthy tasting for me!
 

BAKERS CONFECTIONS - No Rating

WOODEN SPOONS - PICK YOUR COLOR $12.49 / set of 18 

 

I really cannot rate these. They are meant to be miniatures of actual wooden disposable utensils. It's a cool concept but it's not like I have the kind of money to spare on disposable fancy forks and spoons. I would rather use my regular utensils and throw them in the dishwasher. They do look neat and would make for a cool conversation piece, but other than that, it's not something I would gravitate towards as a party essential.

Like I said in the open box post, it's just eye candy.

 

So, EcoEmi did not wow me in August, to say the least. I would say that other than the soap and the Walnut spread, this was a lame box, in the likes of the August Birchbox, I sure hope this is not becoming a trend on the part of EcoEmi either, because I am usually very impressed with the boxes and looking forward to my monthly delivery.  Cheers!

 Sophia, NJ

 

You can find me on FACEBOOK and YOUTUBE

 

 

*This site contains affiliate advertising. This post is not sponsored by Eco Emi, I m not affiliated by Eco Emi or any brand mentioned in this post. All opinions are my own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Birchbox - August 2013 - Full Review

Hi friends,

 

I am so, so, so very late on the review for the August box, it's almost time to showcase and review the September one! Yikes!
I know that some of you are eagerly awaiting the box reviews, so instead of skipping it all together, I decided to make the time and go through the ordeal of reviewing one of the lamest boxes I have ever received from them! And I mean that ... lame, very, very lame! So here goes:
 

 

I received all this rather meager stuff in my August box, I really was not thrilled with it and went something like this: "uh, oh, look like Birchbox is about to be axed out of my monthly bill!" - they are, again, starting to be hits and misses for me, with more misses that anything else, this box, was a big top miss for me!

 

 

Miss Jessie's Super Slip Sudsy Shampoo - $14 - F

This shampoo is supposed to be super slippery and perfect for those of us who have very frizzy and unmanageable hair. So I was very excited to try it, then again, I should have known better! When it states "super Sudsy" I should have understood that it was going to completely strip my hair and scalp from every iota of natural oil and it did just that! This was absolutely horrible as an experience: it is so slippery, it feels like snail goo poured onto your head and I could not wait to rinse it off. But I managed to lather it, and yes, it is "super sudsy", I had the stuff dripping all over me...To gage its effectiveness, I let my hair air dry that day, just to see whether my curls would look somewhat tamed, like it says on the package...






You be the judge:

Does it look like the kind of hair you want to be seen with at the mall? I did not think so either...Worst shampoo, ever! like I want to pay $14 to look like this! Definitely will not purchase this shampoo, neither should you, just saying!

 

 

Coastal Scents Eye Shadow - Starry Night - Under $10 - B

 

 

 

 

These were just okay for me. If you are looking for cool palettes to have fun with, you may want to go for these  Coastal Scents since they are relatively cheap and you get a lot of bang for your bucks. But I did not think the quality was all that great. They come out as very powdery and did not stay long on my lids.
And it's too bad because I was really looking forward to trying them. To be honest the white looks like chalk on your face, the only one that I used more than once was the flat/matte gray color, everything else had just too much shimmer for my taste. They're just okay...not a big deal to me. Won't repurchase either.

 

(Malin + Goetz) - Vitamin e face Moisturizer - $45 - B

 

 



Another no big deal moisturizer for me. There is not much of a scent to them, which is a good thing since I don't care putting perfume on my face. I liked the idea of a minimalist packaging but quite frankly, I cannot find a reason for this moisturizer to be $45! It was again, just okay for me. It is a decent moisturizer in that it did the job you would ask any moisturizer, but quite frankly I think Oil of Olay (classic) does the same job. I am not convinced that overtime use would do anything for my wrinkles. I will pass on that one too!








Sumita - Eye Base - $11 - C

I liked Sumita's black eye liner gel pencil, that one I would repurchase. This pencil base however is a useless product. It tugs at your lids and is supposed to be used as both a primer and a concealer. The color did not blend in well and I found myself with the stuff gathering into my fine lines by the end of the day. Now, if you have a pimple or, like me, a few spots on your skin from sun damage or leftover pregnancy mask, it actually does a decent job, but only once you set it with powder....So, basically this creates more work than it is worth...Another lame product.

 

ARANGARA - Body Lotion - $24 - F

Well, mine did not have any scent in it, even though it says Lemon + Peach on the bottle. It was basically a simple emollient in a milky form, I did not care for it as a moisturizer whether for effectiveness or texture. The fact that mine was unscented did not help...that's a dud for me!

 

I thought this was a great box when I first opened it....I am now back into reconsidering my Birchbox subscription....Lame, lame box. Thanks for nothing Birchbox!

 

Thank you for liking and sharing my post.

 

Sophia, NJ

You can find me on FACEBOOK and YOUTUBE

*This site contains affiliate advertising. I am not affiliated with Birchbox and am not compensated to review their monthly box. This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are my own