Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Natural Snacking with Newman's Own and the Pitch List

The Pitch List is so lucky to have the honor to work with great companies like
neumanownnewbutton
Newman’s Own® Organics’ products meet all the requirements of the USDA’s National Organic Program. Ingredients have been grown on farms that have not used artificial fertilizers or pesticides for three years or more. The farms and processors have also met the USDA’s organic standards. The products are sold nationwide in a number of mainstream supermarkets, in stores featuring natural and health foods, as well as on a number of websites. The pet foods are sold in specialty pet stores and many other outlets.
Several of our members have been reviewing their great products.

Newman’s Own Organics is giving away one box of the same items our reviewers received!
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More than a $150 value!

So just enter the rafflecopter below
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Love and Lightning Bugs,
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Sunday, January 26, 2014

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

If you have ever been a Bunny parent, you understand how common this might be. Unless my giant bun is just the most passive aggressive drama queen on the planet...

NOTE: Apparently too many people get upset by my colorful use of the English Language. All curse words have been edited with asterisks. I would edit them out completely, but I like to keep myself in my writing, as well as stay true to what actually happened.

Don't let this Glamor Shot fool you, she'll destroy everything in your house with a fucking smile on her face.
Me: *cooking dinner*

Claudia: Hey Mom, I see you. Let me out.

Me: Yes, I see you too, and no, you don't need to be out right now.

Claudia: *slams food bowl against her cage bars frantically*

Me: I said I no, calm down. I'm trying to cook.

Claudia: *throws bowl in the floor, then begins digging in it loudly*

Me: I just fed you! Stop throwing your food please.

Claudia: You don't tell me what to do. *flips bowl over, making all the food spill on the floor outside her cage.*

Me: FINE. Stop throwing a hissy fit, I'll let you out.

Claudia: That's what I thought....

Me: *opens cage door, goes right back to cooking*

Claudia: *bounces around the kitchen, sniffing snuff...doing bun things.*

Five minutes pass in complete silence and peace.

***CRAAAASH***

Me: What the hell? *looks around, notices the kitchen is bunny free* CLAUDIA!

Claudia: *hops in from the junk room, completely calm*

Me: What did you do?

Claudia: *looks at me, head tilted slightly* Nothing.

Me: You little liar... *goes to investigate*

Claudia: I wouldn't go in there if I were you....

Me: CLAUDIA MARIE LeFLUFF, HOW THE F**K DID YOU DO THIS?!?!?!

Claudia: Do what?

Me: *stares at the overturned trunk, with all my reenacting supplies spilled out on the floor.* This thing is about 10 times heavier that you...how in the everloving f**k did you even manage to pull this over?

Claudia: Talent...

And this is why being a bunny mommy can be a smack in the face of all of the laws of physics.

Love and Lightning Bugs,
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Thursday, January 23, 2014

Love at First Bite, with Simply 7 and the Pitch List

Let me just start out by saying, that I am a picky eater. I always have been. Even before I had Crohn's Disease, there wasn't much I would eat. After I was diagnosed, it seemed like everything was off limits. The healthier it was for me, the sicker it made me, and the less I wanted to branch out and try anything new. So when I was offered to work with Simply 7, thanks to the Pitch List, I wasn't sure how well I would like the snacks, or how well my body would like them.

Thankfully, it was love at first bite!

Hummus Chips: Roasted Red Pepper, Sea Salt, Spicy Chili Pepper, Tomato Basil
Lentil Chips: Jalapeno.Sea Salt, Bruschetta, Creamy Dill
Pomegranate Chips: Sea Salt, Black Pepper, White Cheddar
I expected to get one or two bags to review, so you can understand my delight when a massive box packed with a staggering 11 bags was delivered to my door! There were three types of chips, with different flavors among them: Hummus, Lentil, and the most interesting one, Pomegranate. I started out with the Hummus chips, since I freaking love hummus. It happens to be its own food group in this house. 


I wasn't let down either! They were crunchy, and reminded me of toasted pita, but they had that same creamy flavor that hummus with olive oil has. After trying all the flavors, I have to say I loved the Tomato and Basil the best. The chips all held their hummus quality, but had slight hints of whatever flavor they were supposed to be. It was really nice to not have the flavor of a chip overpower its natural flavor.


The Lentil chips were something I had never tried before, but they too were really tasty. They were crunchy, but light, and weren't filling, like other chips I have tried. Even though I don't like dill at all, the Creamy Dill flavor was my absolute favorite! It reminded me of a Sour Cream and Onion flavor, and made it difficult to just eat a few!


The very last kind I tried was the one I was the most hesitant about: Pomegranate. I wasn't sure what to expect at all from these, but I was surprised to find that I really liked them! The Sea Salt flavor was my personal favorite. They were very lightly salted, but not so much that the sweetness of the pomegranate was ruined. 

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this brand! All the chips were crispy, crunchy, and had a creamy texture at the end. They weren't greasy or oily, and even my temperamental tummy  didn't have any problems with them! If you like what you've read, why not enter below to win your own box of delicious Simply 7 chips?

Simply-7-Button-2
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Love and Lightning Bugs,
  Photobucket


Saturday, January 18, 2014

Am I Bovvered?

Sometimes in your blogging career, you're forced to interact with ridiculously childish individuals whom you have to call "peers" due to certain circumstances. These types of people will unfortunately refuse to interact with you like an adult, and will instead turn back to the tried and true methods of childhood. Such as throwing a fit, name calling, and my personal favorite of "you can't play with me".

You see wonderful readers, I know my blog isn't exactly family friendly, and by no means would I ever expect anyone who visits this blog to even think that. I curse. A lot. I talk about violent video games, I cover topics that interest me, like this little gem about Victorian Memento Mori's, or this one about the Night Witches of WWII. There is no theme to my blog, and there is no need for me to have such either. I write like I talk, and I have no regrets about anything I post here. I love my corner of the internet, and I love the few dedicated readers I have managed to somehow wrangle into staying with me over the years.

However, that never keeps the childish individuals in the world from taking offence to the things I post here. In this society, it would honestly be shocking if no one in the entirety of the world wasn't offended by something they saw on the internet. I understand being offended, I can feel empathetic about your offence if you go about handling it like an adult...but since this is a post about childish people, well...I think you can see where this is going.

If you have an issue with something I post here, why not take a few seconds, shoot me an email, and we can chat about it. It's an amazingly simple process to talk to me about the content on my blog. You just look in my left side bar and I have this awesome little contact form right there for you to use. Just let me know what you don't like about my blog, and I'm more than happy to discuss it with you. I know my content isn't for everyone, and I honestly enjoy hearing from readers.

See how simple that was? See how civil, and polite, and mature you can be by using my contact form to talk to me about issues on my blog? Now, since we're still talking about childish individuals, I think you can probably guess by the amount of sarcasm dripping from this post, that someone took offence to what I wrote on my blog, and didn't handle it like the adult I expect my readers to be. You would be right.

They went and played the "I'm offended" card, and inevitably said "You can't play with me".

In the words of Catherine Tate: "Am I Bovvered?"


Love and Lightning Bugs,
  Photobucket

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

The Sally Hansen Total Knock Out VoxBox

Have you tried Influenster yet? If not, you're really missing out!

I've blogged in the past about one of my favorite boxes, and I thought I would rave about the box I received last night as well.


Influenster has partnered with Sally Henson this time, to send out three gorgeous Complete Salon Manicure polishes! Just look at those colors! The bottles themselves are a great weight, and I don't have the fear of them tipping over, like I have with the other polish bottles in my collection. The solid square base also means that they won't slide around on you when you go to re-dip your brush!


As for the brush, the brush on these polishes is absolutely luxurious. It's thicker, so it holds more polish, and the polish goes on smoother than with my other brands. Not only that, but the brush helps you paint your nails! Well, it did for me anyway. It felt like the brush was guiding the polish better than I could, and I think it's because of how thick the brush is.


The colors I was sent are just stunning in my opinion. I got Red my Lips. Pat on the Black, and Jaded. The picture above shows those colors, in that order. The Jaded is my favorite, and looks so great paired with the Pat on the Black. The polish itself hasn't chipped or rubbed off, and has a lovely sheen on it, that really draw the eye to my nails. I took my polish off, to see if my nails would be stained from the colors used, and they were flawless when I took off the polish! No staining at all! I was beyond thrilled!

Thank you again Influenster, you've managed to send another amazing box full of great goodies!

Love and Lightning Bugs,
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Monday, January 13, 2014

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses....


As a blogger who has worked with various companies to facilitate product reviews and giveaways, I have heard pretty much every excuse in the book as to why I should write a post for a company without actually getting proper compensation for my time. I thought you might like to hear some of my favorites, and the reasons why I refuse to work with companies who use such excuses.


That's right, time is money. I spend a lot of time and effort in writing a past, making sure I take quality photographs, and promoting the post to you lovely readers. On average, it takes me about 6 hours per post between writing, photography and editing, graphic design, layout, and promoting the post. Now, if YOU were to work for 6 hours doing something for someone else, wouldn't you expect something in return?

I thought so.

Way too many companies I have been contacted by have tried to get me to post a giveaway or review of their product, for absolutely nothing. Not a sample of the item or service, not paying me for a sponsored post, nothing. Anytime I get an e-mail like that, it goes right into my "Fuck You" folder. Any company who tries to recruit hard working bloggers to write for free, is pure scum in my book.


Let me just say, that any company who thinks that the chance of getting more hits to your blog, and perhaps even a new follower or two is proper compensation, can suck a big fat dick. I swear to you, some of the PR reps I have gotten e-mails from where on some severe drugs to think that I was going to jump on the chance to maybe get some followers for all the work I put into their post. 

Not only have I had companies who asked me to promote them just for the followers, but also just for the prestige. One place actually told me that by working with them, it would look better to other companies, who would in turn want to work with me. 

YEAH.

Last week, I received this e-mail in response to me giving  my rates for a sponsored giveaway post:
 "We have worked with many bloggers who don't have this type of criteria. Most agree to work with us at our first request, and ask for no payment in return. By working with us, you will get lots of followers in return, and it looks like you could use them, since your blog doesn't have a lot of followers to begin with".
So...you contacted me to run a giveaway for you, but when I respond by asking for payment to do so, you try to guilt trip me into helping you for free, because 'everyone else is doing it'? My mother could probably get me to send her flowers with that kind of thing, but she housed me and pushed me out of her body. All you've managed to do was throw a fit when I didn't like your terms, and tell me that my blog is crap because it doesn't have the kind of following you like. Well, why the fuck did you e-mail me in the first place?


 I made the mistake of working with an overseas clothing company one time, who offered me some cosplay items in return for hosting a giveaway for them. I was thrilled, because cosplay accessories and garments can be expensive, and con season was coming up. Well, I got the post written, I placed in some of my own photographs where I had posed in my various cosplay's (one of which took 2 hours to get into and photo ready), and I promoted the daylights out of it in the various online cosplay communities I'm a part of. I waited for a week to hear back about my compensation. It was only after I had e-mailed then four times, and threatened to take down the post, that I finally received a response. Turns out, that since the post wasn't getting the hits they wanted, they didn't want to supply me with the items they promised....and that's why that post is no longer on this blog.

Sadly, far too many bloggers fall for these extremely lame tactics, and so companies keep using them.

Stop selling yourself and your blog short. Don't work for free unless it's a cause you can really stand behind. Your time is more valuable than you might think.

Love and Lightning Bugs,
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Saturday, January 11, 2014

3 Things no one tells you when you switch from contacts to glasses

Ignore the crappy photo of me trying to look presentable in my glasses. It was taken on my kindle, and is beyond pixelated all to hell.
So, after 10 years without a back-up pair of glasses, I finally decided it was time to get some for those days when my contacts are bothering me. Let em tell you, after such a long period of time, there were a LOT of things I didn't remember about wearing glasses, and I thought I would share them with you, in case you decide to take the plunge and change up your eyewear as well.

1.) You Better Get Used To Living Like A Fish

Stock photo from stock-gallery
 Now, I don't remember ever feeling like I was trapped in a fishbowl with my last pair of glasses, but the second I took out my contact, and put on my new glasses for the first time, there was a severe sense of being trapped in a tiny spherical glass prison. It was so bad in fact, I literally just sat down and did nothing but stare out of my glasses, trying to get used to them. Even after wearing them all last night, and all day today, I'm still bothered by the curve I see out of the corner of my eye. I know I just have to get used to them, but if you plan to be constantly be switching from contacts to glasses, the fishbowl effect will never go away...so just be ready to feel like Nemo trapped in the aquarium around the clock.

2.) You Will No Longer Have Any Sort Of Depth Perception


My depth perception wasn't the greatest with contacts, but when I put on my glasses, any sort of talent I had for not running into things flew out the window. I can no longer gauge where I am in conjunction to solid objects. I've run into the doorway between the living room and kitchen twelve times today.

Twelve.

And it's not just walking, oh no. You should have seen me trying to wash the dishes earlier. The sponge was not where my brain said it was, so I was groping about trying to get a knife to wash without cutting my hand because my eyes said I was grabbing the handle, but my hand said, "THAT'S THE BLADE FUCKTARD."

3.) You Get To Living In A Poorly Color Screened Comic.

Image from White Rabbit 3d
Just a warning, if you don't look out of the EXACT CENTER of the lenses, you will get to experience what it's like to revisit those old comics with the bad color bleeding from poor alignment during printing. I'm just so used to glancing out the corner of my eye at something, and the fact that I now have to turn my entire head in order to look at something has me annoyed to no end. I can't be sly and just sneak a peek at something any more, I have to be blatantly obvious tot he fact that I'm looking at something.

What if I want to sneak a peek at the trainwreck of a woman having a meltdown in Starbucks because they ran out of her favorite creamer? Or have a nonchalant glance at the two drag queens having one of the most intriguing discussions about "potatoes" I have ever heard?

No...now I have to stare with a deer in the headlights look.

So be warned, if you switch from contacts to glasses, your ninja like snooping skills will be completely lost to you forever.

Love and Lightning Bugs,
  Photobucket

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Dressale International New Year Giveaway

Dressale International New Year Giveaway  Win Amazing Dresses worth $200

**This giveaway is sponsored and run by Dressale.com – by entering and proving your email, you are sharing that information with Dressale**
It is time to take that New Year's resolution to the next level!  Is there a better way to start the new year than with an amazing giveaway? This time I've partnered up with Dressale to giveaway one of their hot selling dresses!

The winner will receive a dress valued at up to $200!  Now that is a fabulous giveaway!

It is easy to win and it is super simple to enter the giveaway:

- Register on Dressale
- Like Dressale on Facebook
- Follow Dressale on Twitter
- Leave a comment under this post with the email address that you registered with, and tell me what dress you love!
- Apply the dress you want to get here>>> http://www.dressale.com/free_trials.html​

Good luck with this giveaway! I know I found so many dresses I loved on this site, it might be hard to choose your favorite!

Love and Lightning Bugs,
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Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Because staying warm is for sane people

The last couple of days have been painfully cold outside. So cold in fact, that when I threw a cup of boiling water outside, it turned into snow instantly...

So what does a blogger do when the temp drops and the snow drifts just keep getting deeper?

Go outside and take photos of course!



I could only stand to be outside for a few moments at a time, so there are only two photos taken during the day, which are above. However, we had a lovely moon last night, and clear skies, so I went to take photos of the moonlight reflecting off the snow. I was pleasantly surprised at how lovely they came out!



If you would like to keep up with my photography, please feel free to like Isabella Grey Photography on Facebook!

Love and Lightning Bugs,
  Photobucket

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Eerie Encounters: The First Encounter


I often get asked to share my experiences as a paranormal investigator, and sensitive individual. So often, in fact, I thought I would do a test run on my blog to see what you all though about it. So without further adieu, here's the first story in my Eerie Encounters series.

My very first experience with the paranormal happened when I was very young, probably about 6 or 7. As was often the case at that age, I was playing outside of my Grandma's house, climbing the tree outside of the guest room window to watch the baby birds that lived in a nest in one of the higher branches. After a few minutes of watching the fledglings, I noticed the curtain of the guest room moving, which was odd, since my grandma was currently sitting on the porch, chatting with a friend of her's.

So, like the nosy child I was, I climbed down and went inside the house. Now, I was never a big fan of that room to begin with. The door was always shut, and I always got a very uneasy feeling whenever I had to pass by it to go to the bathroom in the same small hallway. There was just something about it that didn't feel right to me, and it went beyond the normal childhood fears. In fact, I don't think I ever slept or played in there, even though the room was meant for me. I slept on the couch in the living room, or on a pallet on the floor of my grandmother's room, but never in that guest room. 

So it was a rather odd thing for me to go there, and open the door to the room that scared me so. Despite the fact that the fan was off, and the rest of the house was a balmy 75, the room was cold, and the curtains were still moving as if being pulled about by the air moment of the still fan. It was then, as I stood in the doorway, staring at the fluttering curtains, that I saw the shape in the corner of my eye. It wasn't the form of a human per-say, but more like a cloud, floating near the bed shoved up against the right wall. It stayed there for a few moments, then slowly started floating in my direction.

Let me tell you, I have NEVER run so fast in my entire life. I was outside in the humid heat so quick, I don't actually remember running there. I was in pure hysterics by the time I ran around the house and climbed up the stairs of the front porch. I was talking so fast my grandmother couldn't understand me, and when she excused herself from the conversation with her friend, and tried to take me inside, it was even worse. After a few hours in the sun, when the fireflies started coming out, I knew it was time to go inside and I dreaded every moment.

But, as it turns out, my grandmother knew all about the back bedroom incident, as it had happened to her many times. She explained that sometimes things went missing in her house, and when she would go looking for them, they would show up in the strangest places, like the bathtub, or once, in a bowl of jello with the jello untouched.

That first experience sent me on a long path of research and inquiry about all things paranormal, and I hope you enjoy reading about some of my other experiences. Have you ever encountered something you couldn't explain?

Love and Lightning Bugs,
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