Sunday, September 30, 2012

Féerie Rose des Neiges

I wrote about celebrity scents a while back and decided it was time I got myself a new one with the birthday money I got. This time I didn't venture to the celebrity scent isle. Instead I decided to do a "blind buy" based on fragrantica.com suggestions. I wanted something rosy, but not too little girly or grandma-ish, and I wanted something that I could use this fall and winter. I chose the notes on fragrantica note search and bought this through Amazon.co.uk for £14 + shipping:


Van Cleef & Arpels' Féerie Rose des Neiges

I wasn't disappointed, it was exactly what I hoped for. A sweet rosy scent without being too sweet or too rosy :) Fragrantica describes the scent, which was launched last year: "Feerie Rose des Neiges is a clean, pure and delicate fragrance of floral - fruity composition. Top notes of pink pepper and litchi bring icy freshness, while the heart of rose and magnolia provides refinement. The final trail consists of cedar wood and tonka bean.", which is pretty much accurate. Although I don't normally buy scents without trying, this blind buy was a success!

Have you bought scents without trying? Was the scent what you hoped for?

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Native American Scenic Byway - roadtripping the Dakotas

Pilvi posted some lovely spring photos in her blog and that got me thinking I should post some happy photos from a previous trip to get the fall gloom out of my head. So here are some photos from the most amazing roadtrip to South and North Dakota, on which I went with two of my friends (one of them is now my husband!) back in the summer of 2009. The roadtrip took us through the Dakotas via the Native American Scenic Byway. We went to Corn Palace, Chamberlain, Crow Creek reservation, Lower Brule reservation, Pierre, Standing Rock reservation, Cheyenne River reservation, and visited the Akta Lakota Museum. It was a budget trip, so we stayed at cheap motels and had lots of fun :)

After a 4hr drive we got to Sioux Falls

We drove past Mitchell, SD and passed by the Corn Palace, which husband said he had visited as a child with his family. My other friend and I had never been there and it's free, so we agreed we'd check it out :)

It's a multi-use arena, which is redecorated every year with new corn, grain and grass to showcase a new theme. This is what it looked like in 2009.

Some of the corn murals inside. They had a bunch of vendors there when we visited, but they host concerts and games (basketball at least it seems :) in the arena.


Driving in Chamberlain, SD. 
The Chamberlain Bridge ahead was built in 1925 and was designed by the same engineer who designed the Golden Gate Bridge.


Barger Park in Chamberlain


My fellow travelers at the Spirit of the Circle Monument at Crow Creek reservation. Below is the stone in the middle of the monument:


 Fort Thompson was established as a prison camp for exiled Dakota and Winnebago.



Kul Wicasa Oyate (Lower Brule Sioux Tribe)


Lower Brule reservation, the photo does not do the scenery justice, it was breathtaking


Lower Brule reservation


The Buffalo Interpretive Center at the Lower Brule reservation


The blogger herself at the South Dakota state capitol building in Pierre, SD


Inside the South Dakota state capitol building


and another inside shot of the South Dakota state capitol building


Lewis and Clark monument


Cattle near the Dakotas border


Standing Rock reservation


Standing Rock Administrative building in Fort Yates, ND


Blogger herself next to the sacred stone


Inyan Woslata Eyapaha (Standing Rock Sioux Tribe)


Tatanka Iyotake's (Sitting Bull) original grave site in Fort Yates, ND


His memorial in Mobridge, SD


The plate next to the memorial


Sakakawea Monument in Mobridge


Sakakawea plate


Monument on the Cheyenne River reservation, SD, in memory of deceased chiefs of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of Indians and men of that tribe who died in service of the United States in the World War I


After seeing all those amazing reservations and impressive memorials, we went to enjoy a night out at the Silver Dollar Bar in Chamberlain, SD, where we made a bunch of new friends :)


We stayed at Bel Aire Motel in Chamberlain and our imaginary friends stayed for free!


Leaving the motel the next day in my friend's handsome Cadillac :)


But didn't head home before visiting the Akta Lakota Museum in Chamberlain


Where the silly blogger went to a tipi :)

Anyone else driven the Native American Scenic Byway? 
If not, I highly recommend it, it was such a relaxing drive with lots to see.


Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Random Tuesdays 09/25/2012

New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins, CO in 2009. I don't drink beer and I was 5-months pregnant when we did the brewery tour (roadtrip with my friend's family), but they had all sorts of cool stuff on display there. This reminded me of a certain metal band :)

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Puppy love

I'm a dog person, no question about it, but I don't dislike cats either. If I could choose, I'd so be a dog owner though, starting today! My last, and only one that's actually been my very own, dog passed away almost two years ago and not a week goes by that I don't miss her at some point. When I was growing up, we had other dogs at home and it feels so weird not having one. There's only one way to fill this empty spot in my heart and it's getting a puppy.

The most wonderful dog there ever was, a wire-haired Dachshund

Unfortunately that's really not a possibility right now, financially speaking especially. Pure bred dogs are expensive and there's insurance/vet costs to consider too. Also, our lil man would never leave the poor puppy alone! Nevertheless I dream of becoming a dog owner in the near future and envy all those people I see outside walking their wonderful dogs.


I miss cuddling with my furry baby :(

I've already told my husband that next year's Christmas, the lil man and I have only one Christmas wish: a puppy. And I'd like it to be a small pup, since we might have to cross the Atlantic at some point, and I don't want to place my dog in the cargo. So I've decided, based on the character of the breed, that we should get a Coton de Tulear :) Husband obviously disagrees, since he'd like a Rhodesian Ridgeback, which is certainly not a lapdog. We'll see what we end up doing. 


Any dog owners/lovers reading this blog? What kind of dog do you have/would like to have?

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Shoes!

I went shoe-shopping the other week, since I wanted something more professional than my trusty old Converse volitant skater shoes. I'm a business graduate student now after all! ;)

I always have trouble finding the right kind of shoes for myself and every time I get a new pair I end up with blisters. Needless to say shoe shopping is challenging and I rarely find a pair that seems comfortable.

I got some birthday money from my grandpa and went to the local shoe store. The first pair I tried was Rieker Antistress Louise and I loved them! Their 70e price tag was a bit too much for me though, so I ended up buying Jana Classic heels. They were also comfortable, but more reasonably priced, 40e.

The shoes in the catalog and real life.

I got home and I was still thinking about those Rieker shoes so I checked Amazon.de and found them for 50e (shipping included). I figured this was a sign I should get them and went ahead and ordered a pair. They were as I remembered, super-comfortable and nice looking too.

The color of the shoes is more realistic in the catalog photo

I couldn't get over how comfortable the Rieker Louise shoes were, so I checked some more shoes from the brand online. I found a pair of Rieker Mirjam (49757) mary janes for 20e from Amazon.de and ordered them too.

Rieker Mirjam in white-grey

I normally don't order shoes online without trying them on at a store first, but I figured since it was the same brand the size was probably similar, and it was. These shoes are also super comfortable and pretty to boot! The heel could've been a tad higher, but other than that I love them.

After I got these shoes, I decided I should get winter boots from Rieker too, it seems I got some sort of Rieker fever haha. So here are my brand new Rieker Anna boots, I ordered them from Zalando.fi, since I had a coupon there and they cost me 55e (without coupon 65e). This was my first time ordering from Zalando, and although it took a bit longer for the shoes to arrive than expected, everything went well.



What do you think of the shoes I bought? 
Do you usually shop for shoes online?

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Random Tuesdays 09/18/2012


Pasture in Southern Wyoming in 2009. So peaceful, I had to take a pic.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Birthday presents

I had a birthday a few weeks back, my 21st for a few years already ;) I don't like being the center of attention and didn't organize any big festivities, we just had my family over and ate yummy foods. Perhaps one of these days we'll have a joint birthday party with the hubby later in the fall.

I told everyone not to buy me anything, but they had not listened and I got some wonderful birthday presents! Husband got me a teach-yourself-Spanish book, which I had had my eyes on for a while now. My Mom had asked if I wanted a gift card to a facial, a pedicure or to a clothing store and I chose a pedicure. I love pedicures, I can do my own nails just fine, but nothing beats getting your feet pampered. Someone once told me that we will be standing on our feet majority of our lives and should take very good care of them.


My mom had also framed one of my touristy papyri, now I'll just have to figure out a place for this :)

My friends had gotten me some pretty sweet treats: cosmetics and candy, they know me so well! I also got a few packages from Nebraska, from my mother- and sister-in-law. Husband's grandparents had deposited money to our American account, what a nice surprise! 


Cookbook, napkins and rings from my mother-in-law

And nailstuffs from Sephora from my sister-in-law. 
My brother and his wife got me a box of Leonidas chocolates, yummy!

and in case you were curious what was in the pretty Sephora case:


more nailstuffs!

And of course I had to get myself a little something with the money I got from my grandpa and here's what I got:

A pretty ballerina jewelry box that plays Fur Elise :)

I had been looking for a grown up version of the musical boxes little girls often have and was really happy to find this one. It has enough space for a bunch of jewelry and there are three mirrors: one on the lid, and two in the side cabinets. I ordered it from Amazon.co.uk and I'm very happy with it!

All in all I had a good birthday, don't mind at all being a year older :)