Giving Toothpicks a Run for the Money

Crest 'Glide To Go' Packets

Again, so late with my post this week. But here’s why I’m late with it: I was going to write about something else, and an hour or so before I was going to sit to type up that other review, I was at the pharmacy and found this floss. And this floss was on my initial list of “things to review/blog about” but I was not finding the product in the stores and feared that Crest no longer made it. And what’s the point of recommending something to you that you can’t actually get your hands on, right? Anyway……Crest IS still making this stuff, so - YAY – I get to tell you about it after all!

Now, to know me is to know that I’m a “bag lady.” I’ve always got a bag or two with me. You just never know what you’re going to need while you’re out and about, or what you’re going to need to pick up and cart home with you. So I’m always prepared. And some days I think I’d make a great contestant on Let’s Make a Deal because of how much I’ve got in one of my bags. Who’s got a French jazz CD? Who’s got a magenta Sharpie? Who’s got a chocolate chip granola bar? Me. Me. Me.

This is just to say that in addition to the household goods, pantry items, and websites I’ve been telling you about, you better believe I’ve got some goodies for you “to-go.”

I’ve carried Crest brand ‘Glide To Go’ floss packets since they were invited. Floss is great to have on-hand. And not that a little box of floss takes up that much room, but when “travel-size” [anything] came to market, you ditched the full-size products for the minis that you could pack to-go, right?! Same applies here.

So there’s that. And then there’s also the fact that the girl with the big bag full of random stuff is often asked, “Ooh, do you have some more gum?” Or, “Got a pen?” Or a passive comment like, “I wish I had some floss!” Back in the day when I carried the regular little box of floss, no one asked for “a few inches of floss.” But now they can totally ask for floss. And I’ll gladly hand over one of the little single-use packets I’ve got in my bag of tricks.

What’s that you say? You don’t carry a bag? Uh, do ya have a pocket? One little packet is no bigger than a one dollar bill that’s been folded, then folded, and folded again. If you can carry a buck, you can carry a little floss packet!

And for about four bucks ($4), you’ll get a box of 30 single-use packets.

So keep your eyes peeled in that floss section. You’ll thank me when you’re heading out of a restaurant with clients or a date, you need to clean your teeth, but there are no toothpicks in sight. You’ll reach into your pocket – OR BAG! – and voila!

Be cool; carry floss.

- E

p.s. The bag featured at top is a Laced Julia bag by FOLLIS. A really great line! Check them out here: http://follisny.com/

Sorbetto.

Talenti's Roman Raspberry Sorbetto

Sorbetto.

Sorbetto. Period.

I wish I could stop there knowing that you would automatically understand and appreciate the admiration I have for Talenti’s Roman Raspberry Sorbetto. . . the way you “know” the taste of ice cold beer on a hot summer day, or chocolate chip cookies just out of the oven.

But I fear you may not know of this love of mine. So, I will do my best to make you crave it. . .

Before June 2010, I did not give ice cream much thought. Growing up we went to Dairy Queen once in a while or had sherbert on a rare summer day. (Remember sherbert? That sad little mix of lime green/pale orange/light pink?) Anyway, so a year ago I moved to a new city. One of the few things I knew about this new city in advance was a little ice cream shop that had a cute name and great ice cream. I went for ice cream within my first week in town. Turns out, I love [GOOD] ice cream.

So how did this one little shop convert me? Simple – and it goes along with the theme of this blog – this place makes REALLY GOOD ice cream. Really good/ well-done/ best-of . . .bingo!

The shop is not in my neighborhood, so I don’t go that often, but knowing that I was now into ice cream, I started spending time in the ice cream aisle. I’ve tried just about every brand available. There’s some tasty stuff out there, but none of it holds a candle to the frozen goodness found at my nearby ice cream shop. EXCEPT FOR Talenti’s Roman Raspberry Sorbetto!!!!! Thank goodness this stuff is widely available because you’re going to want to add this to your grocery list!

First of all, there may be something wrong with you if you’re not floored by the color of this stuff. Talenti makes many flavors and you may have a variety of gelato and sorbetto options to choose from. But the deep red raspberry color of the Roman Raspberry Sorbetto is a treat for your eyes!

And then wait till you get home and grab a spoon!

The flavor is deep. The creaminess and “raspberry-ness” live deep within every lick, bite, and swallow. It is rich. It is beautiful. (If you don’t want to take my word for it, check out Talenti’s ingredients and attributes on their website. “No details are ignored and no shortcuts are taken.”)

It may be because it’s so rich and flavorful that you will be satisfied with a sophisticated, small amount of it. Remember the scene in Pretty Woman when Julia Roberts is with Richard Gere and his clients at a fancy dinner and she is offered a small dish of mint sorbet to cleanse the palate? That’s the size I’m talking about. (And if you don’t follow my reference, we’re talking the size of a little clementine, if that.)

Natural. Kosher. Gluten-free. Pure this. Fresh that. Real. Good.

Before you head out for your grocery shop, do check out the Talenti website to make sure you hit a store that carries the line. (http://www.talentigelato.com/StoreFinder.aspx ) And while I don’t think you’d be disappointed with the brand’s other flavors, the Roman Raspberry Sorbetto is what you’re looking for!

And now for a little bonus: you can order Talenti products online! While putting this blog entry together, I learned of IceCreamSource.com: http://www.icecreamsource.com/ . Holy cow – you’ve got to check it out! In addition to Talenti, you can order Babcock Hall ice cream, (a little shout-out to University of Wisconsin readers!), among other fantastically named and possibly equally delicious brands.

On IceCreamSource.com, Talenti’s Roman Raspberry Sorbetto is $7.99 per pint. I scored it at my local grocery store for $3.99 per pint last week!

Hip hip hooray!

Lips Like Sugar

the lip scrub, by Sara Happ

Do you make any of your own cleaning products? Or beauty products? Got some sort of homemade remedy you swear by?

Want to know how to garner some attention for it? How to grab E’s attention and get written up in this here blog (ha!)? Well…

1. Concoct something simple, yet super effective

2. Put it in very simple, yet stylish packaging

3. Sell it in a cute store

That’s what Sara Happ did. She invented “the lip scrub.” And then she put it in a tiny little brown box with a tiny little white ribbon, and used a very simple font. And then I found it on display in a sweet little tea shop in New York City. Of course I bought it! (I’ll say it again: I’m a sucker for good packaging!)

I’m sure I thought I was going to gift it to someone. That would make sense since it’s all tidy and wrapped up to begin with. But….I figured I should try it out first. You know, review it. And then I fell in love.

Yes, you could make some version of this at home using Vaseline and sugar. I love to think that I would do that. But do I ever actually get around to doing it? No. I wonder, though, if a homemade version could be as effective. Sara Happ nails it on her ratio of petrolatum (the Vaseline-like stuff) and exfoliating sugar granules.

Oh, by the way, when you read “the lip scrub” aloud, “the” should rhyme with “me.” It’s the lip scrub (says E). It’s that good!

I’ve used it the same way from the get-go:

1. Before getting in the shower, I rub a bit of it in little circles all over my lips.

2. Then, I rub my lips together for about a minute or so. Helps the exfoliation.

3. By the time I’m washing my face, most of the little sugar granules have melted away and I’m left wish super soft lips. See - no dryness or chappiness here! (And just to be clear - - there were no enhancements, touch-ups or lip balm used in the making of this photo. Real, plain lips here! Thank you, Sara Happ!)

As Sara Happ herself states in her marketing: “Wonder how you ever lived without it.” Exactly!

Visit Sara Happ’s website to find out where to buy “the lip scrub”: http://www.sarahapp.com/index.php If you’d rather shop for it online, the website provides links to stores that sell it online. A 1oz. container retails for $24 (cute little brown box with a tiny little white ribbon, included). Several flavors available (E loves almond crème).

I close today with a shout-out to Echo & The Bunnymen: Thank you for writing a song that’s bound to be stuck in at least one reader’s head all day. It’ll keep “the lip scrub” top-of-mind!

“Lips like sugar….sugar kisses….”

- E

Position yourself

www.SeatGuru.com

I begin with an apology: I am sorry (and embarrassed) to have skipped a week of posting. I didn’t think that would happen so early on. I don’t have a decent excuse either. Pathetic!

Onward. . .
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I don’t remember the last time I sat in a middle seat on an airplane.

I’ve never missed a connection because I’ve been so far back on a plane that it took too long to get off.

And most of the time, I’m pretty happy with my seat.

First-class flier? Not lately. Lucky traveler? No, not really. I just take my travel planning seriously – down to my seat assignments for every leg of a trip.

You see, not all planes are the same and not all seats are created equal. So I just can’t rely on some agent to assign me to “an aisle or a window.” Here’s an example of why: Seat 17D on an “American Airlines Canadair CRJ-700” is a window seat in the very back of the plane. Whereas, seat 17D on a “Delta Airlines Boeing 767-400” is a middle seat toward the front of a middle collection of seats in a coach section with two-aisles.

So how do I avoid a seating nightmare? As soon as I pull up my go-to travel search website, no sooner do I also pull up http://www.seatguru.com/ . (I’m sure there’s some “app” out there that does all of this, too. But I don’t do “apps.” I kick it old-school and visit websites.)

The SeatGuru tagline is “The ultimate source for airplane seating, in-flight amenities, and airline information.” Yep! Ultimate is right!

It’s incredibly easy to use! You open the site and right there, front and center, is a box that asks you to enter your flight info (airline and flight number), which eventually leads you directly to a page for the specific aircraft that will be operating your flight. From there, you will learn oh-so-much about your plane.

Just below some wordy text about your aircraft you’ll see icons that highlight some on-board amenities. And just below that, a lovely diagram of your vessel. And letters, numbers, and colors – oh, my! The Seatmap Key off to the side provides the answers to that stuff. The real fun comes when you hover your mouse over all of the little seat boxes. Some seats will be listed as a “standard economy seat,” while others have “some extra knee room but not necessarily more legroom” or “limited recline” or “can get very cold at the exits during the flight” or “passengers seated here will be the last to be served and to disembark.” See what I’m saying?!?! You spend time and money putting itineraries together, so spend time thinking about where you want to spend your time in the sky.

The only thing I can think of that SeatGuru can’t do for us? Guarantee that we won’t end up next to Chatty Cathy or Smelly Stan…..

Hook yourself (and your travel companions) up with decent seats! Knowledge is power, folks. Enjoy your flight!

- E