New Obsession: Hen House Linens

Yes, I am obsessed.
Hen House Linens makes great fabric goods (from Napkins to Guest Towels) in the best fabrics.

100% Cotton, hard-wearing-- practical & beautiful!

Shop online & pick your own fabrics.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!

Perfect for host/hostess or holidays gifts as well.

Thymes Home Fragrance Mist

Filigree

Powdery, yet clean.

Feminine, but not girly.

I like to spray a little on a lamp shade so it releases with the heat.

Would be excellent to mist around before entertaining,

so your abode smells all elegant.

Casa di Francesca Home Scents

Rosemary & Mint

Fresh & alive!

Makes my house smell verdant, but not at all overpowering.

Huge variety of scents.

Created by Katie Borghese (yes, that Borghese family), inspired by Francesca, who was one of the few women to make the Grand Tour of Europe in the 1600's.

Available in beautiful Murano glass containers, reasonably priced. Make your house prettier & smell better with one purchase.

Candle: Delirium & Co.

Blue Absinthe

Masculine, yet light & airy.

Kind of a mentholated cedar, but in a good way.

Delirium & Co describes it as "AN INTOXICATING MASTERFUL BREW OF ABSINTHE, VETYVER, BLONDE WOODS, BASIL AND ROSEMARY."

It is totally intoxicating!!!

Strong, but not cloying.

Excellent scent.

Tony Little's Gazelle Edge

Yes, I watch the occasional infomercial.

Far fewer than I did before we had cable, though.

Got one for birthday from a couple of super uncles & aunts (thanks, guys!).

It was easy to assemble, easy to use, not so easy for me to fold it up, but that could have something to do with a lack of coordination...

It does say that it does not need to be oiled, but using some WD-40 helps stop the squeaks.

Really easy to use, it is just gliding. Problems: Easy to get bored, no way to increase resistance that I can figure out, no place for me to set remote;)

Doing a mile had no perceptible impact, but legs hurt after doing 2.5 miles. Then again, I am a wimp.

It's a nice, easy way to get off your keister & feel like you have done something mildly athletic.

Landice L7 Treadmill

Easy to read displays, big plus when you have bleary-morning eyes.

Good programs-- you can modify speeds/elevation in the pre-programed work-outs.

You don't have to use pre-programmed, you can set your own speed & elevation, changing is easy.

Personal note- the Intervals program kicks my butt. You go from strolling to running at maximum elevation, SO exhausting.

Candle: Chesapeake Bay Candle

Cedarwood Sweet Tobacco
Signature Collection
Smells lovely!
Sweet, yet masculine.
Cedar, pipe tobacco (not lit), and greenery.

Candle: Delirium

Delirium Blue Period Suede & Smoke
The candle version of George Clooney--classic & classy, clean, and all man;)
This smells exactly like I always imagined a posh men's club would smell, all humidor-y & leather chairs with a hint of fresh mint & scotch.
The candle is also very handsomely packaged, cobalt glass.

DISHWASHER: GE QuietPower I

GE Quiet Power I
relatively quiet, easy to use buttons, seems to clean well.
Bought this dishwasher in November, 2006. On my 2nd set of racks, which are rusting AGAIN. Rust from racks stains dishes.
Here's a copy of the e-mail I sent to GE:
Model #: GLD4300L00CC
Hello.
We have a GE Quiet Power I dishwasher, purchased in 11/2006 & professionally installed.
Less than 6 months after the dishwasher was installed, the top and bottom racks rusted, we received replacement racks, sent on 4/23/2007.
It is just over one year later, and the racks are rusting out again. I called today, 6/30/2008, and spoke to Wendy, who transferred me to Aaron in Consumer Relations. Aaron kindly informed me that this was not a reported problem and that replacement racks would cost over $100. When I told him that I was not interested in paying $100 plus for the same racks & the same problems, he informed me that I could received up to 20% off of a comparable new model--again with the wire racks.
While this is a nice offer, paying a minimum of $700 for the chance of having the exact same rust issues is less than appealing to me.
I find it remarkably hard to believe that we 1. are the only people who have had racks rust out and 2. that this is not a manufacturing defect, when this has happened TWICE. We live in a city which has a very good water system, we do not put any odd things in our dishwasher, we use recommended detergent tablets, and we run our dishwasher once a day or less.
I will be sure to tell my friends, family, and neighbors about my GE experience.
In addition, I will be placing a copy of this letter on a blog site which reviews everyday products:http://brainyformfunction.blogspot.com/
Good day.

ECOVER Dishwasher tabs

ECOVER Dishwasher tablets
I love these!!!
I am all about the tablets--no more messy liquids & powders-- & these are great.
No over-powering smell, just a subtle air of clean.
The tablets are hard-working & rinse clean, no soap speckles yet.
As an added bonus, they are eco-friendly! I am pro-green, especially when it does a great job.

Chesapeake Bay Candles - Mini Tin Garden

Chesapeake Bay Candles
Mini Tin Garden

These are the prettiest tin candles I've ever used - beautiful floral paper on lid and around base. And I loved the size - at approx. 1.5" in diameter they're not too big, not too tiny.

White Ginger & Ivy
This is a fresh, green, clean scent that will subtley perk you up in a refreshing and enjoyable way. Great for the mornings or when you need a little power surge.


Tuberose & Gardenia
I'm generally not a big fan or rose or gardenia, but there's something so appealing about this scent. You can detect both scents, but the harmony between the two is unique. It's a soft, slightly powdery, and romantic scent (and I mean old-fashioned romance, not gotta jump your bones now lustiness), slightly nostalgic. I burn this one in the evening and on weekends to set a comfortable, relaxing mood.

Candles: Pure & Natural

Candles
Pure & Natural

Cardamom & Clove
Oddly enough, I have always spelled it Cardamum...
The candle is a bit heady in the package, but once it is lit, mmmmm.
A nice, light, spring-time scent.
Almost floral, a little exotic.
Spicy, of course, but in a breezy sort of way.
Note: After blowing out, the smell lacks the headiness of the virgin candle.

Passion Fruit & Papya
Unlit: Total fruit-smoothie smell.
Lit: Lightly fruity. Like tasty lip balm.
I can smell the papaya!

Candles: Tocca-- Yma

Candles
Tocca
Yma
Fresh & bright.
Citrus & sweet, but in a very light way.
Smells like an ideal summer.
Sprightly, almost.
A tropic island, a Jimmy Buffet song, Bali Hai.

Candles: Tocca-- Florence

Candles
Tocca
Florence
Musky, intoxicating.
Forest in the middle of a city.
Floral undertones, but not girly.

Cleaning Products: Method

Method-brand Cleaning Products
I love that these aren't the baby-with-three-heads type of chemical cleaners!
Naked--no smell! Good for the stove, as heat + smell cleaners can = disaster.
Pink Grapefruit-- Clean citrus. This is what I like my kitchen to smell like. All my counters, actually. And some of my windows-- not in the bedroom, though, it is too energetic!
Lavender--too fussy for kitchen, competes with cooking smells. Good in the bathroom & bedroom.
Eucalyptus Mint-- smells like clean dorm bathrooms. Definite cleaning product smell, hint of toothpaste.