Bird & Blend Tea : Advent Calendar Revew

I don’t think it’s a secret that I whole heartedly love the Bird & Blend brand. 

I love their flavours. I love their commitment to making reusable or recyclable packaging. I love how they market for everyone from the newbie to the experienced tea lover. 

What I don’t love is how they are located on another continent. 

Last fall I began seeing their marketing on Instagram and Facebook about their Halloween countdown but then they starting promoting their Christmas advent boxes and I KNEW I had to order. I got both the Halloween countdown and their special Tea Lovers Advent. 

The shipping was very fast through DHL. The original price of the Christmas advent was $49 USD plus conversion to CAD plus duty and import fees. 😵‍💫 Yikes, I started thinking maybe I shouldn’t have done that. But I did, and there was no turning back and as soon as I’d received them I knew I treated myself well. 

The Halloween countdown was GLORIOUS and if you’d like a review of that on its own let me know. 

What I always feel is important that with a lot of European brands they curate in smaller amounts than what we’ve come to expect in North America.  For instance, one B&B tea bag makes 6-8 ounces of tea so if you use a large mug which is often the case in my house you need at least two tea bags for one cup and then you have to prepare yourself that it still may not be as strong as you are accustomed. There were 2 teabags behind every door of the 24 day Christmas advent calendar. Sometimes I used both and sometimes I only used one, depending on the cup I was using. So…the cup makes all the difference!

It’s a dream to visit the UK so it was very special that the Tea Lovers version of their calendar included blends that are curated especially for their different Bird & Blend locations and what their best sellers are. At first it seemed weird to have a tea from the seaside in something Christmas themed but I soon appreciated it because these boxes are so carefully curated with everything in mind so the holiday flavours soon followed. My favourite may have been the Christmas Cake or Mince Pie flavours.  I don’t know how they do that but they taste EXACTLY like the real thing. 

There was a terrific balance between caffeine and decaf tea blends. That made it easy to decide when or how I was going to drink each day. There were instructions on the box for making regular tea or lattes or whatever they recommended. Each tea tag had clear details of whether it had caffeine and if you should use milk or not and even if it should be enjoyed hot or cold! 

Bird and Blend just does it right. They had a digital advent option for each calendar which took you to a special page which had details on each tea, the ingredients and tips on how it’s best enjoyed. They also had a downloadable tea tasting journal! I admit that I tried to keep up with it but I just lost track…

Would I buy this again? OHMYGOD YES! Sadly, due to the cost of shipping it’s not likely it’s going to be soon though. I’m glad I purchased it and fully enjoyed it. Yes I’d recommend it to everyone but beware there could be extra fees depending on where you live…

…but maybe you live right there and can enjoy Bird & Blend whenever your heart desires. 

Lucky you!

I hugged it…I seriously did!

The Body Shop 2023 : Advent Calendar Review

In 2022 I'd bought the larger version of this advent calendar and loved it.  I used all the products and went back to buy more.  So in late September, when their social media started advertising The Body Shop Christmas countdowns I rushed to get one.

You can read about last years advent here LINK

I had problems purchasing the 2023 Advent calendar when I went to the store.    They had them and I was shown them when I asked however the manager said they weren't allowed to sell them yet.  I expressed how I'd seen it on their Instagram page and he agreed to let me have it.

I purchased the smaller of the three Advent calendars as I found the prices were more than the previous year.  I used my in store loyalty coupons to reduce the price to $95.  This year there were 3 versions to choose from.  I chose the smallest.  Last year's was medium and priced at $99.

There it sat while I anticipated December first.

The packaging is not as nice in the smaller box as the other boxes or the previous box.  The 3D figures inside do not stand up when you open the box.  They are supposed to stand up to present a Christmas diorama but they don't unless you fiddle with it.  That makes it a hard box to display.  Each item inside the box is in its own numbered box.  Each of those had details as to how the ingredients were ethically sourced.  While that's something to think about it's also not necessarily something you need on items themed to Christmas.

The entire box can be reused or recycled.  I recycled each individual box as I don't have a use for little boxes nor a place to keep them until I'd need to reuse them.  At this time, I'm unsure if I will keep the large box or not.  it's currently housing the excess items.  I did keep the 2022 version and use it to store my make up and other beauty items.

I don't find the design or pattern of the box to be particularly festive and neither were the contents.  This entire box was blue, does have a Christmas pattern and themed diorama inside and even though blue is my favourite colour, it doesn't exactly scream Christmas, especially when closed.  This was a flaw I found in the previous calendar as well.  The Body Shop does have "festive" scents but it seems they only have them in store closer to Christmas and they don't use them in the calendars.  Instead, it seems, the calendars are a mixture of what might assume to be their popular products or items they'd like to influence us to buy.

How dirty do they think I am?

If you followed along on my Instagram or Facebook page you'll know that there were several repeats of certain products.  This alone has made me determine to not purchase this again.  There are 6 shower gel/creams, 4 hand cream/balms, and 2 bars of soap.  I don't know about others but that's a lot.  There was only 1 lip product.  I also found there was zero in the form of a facial moisturizer while there was tea tree cleanser and toner there was nothing for the follow up routine.  Was this a marketing ploy?  So I'd have to purchase the remainder if I liked it?  Who knows.  

Another inclusion in this box was what I'd call a shower buff.  The fabric is not very soft and it's quite small.  I don't think it would be easy to use and I'm not even sure if I'd call it a travel item.  I'd say this was the worst item in the box.

My favourite item in this 24 day countdown was a hair clip.  The other favourite items were the Shea shampoo and conditioner as well as the Tea Tree toner and cleanser.

This calendar retails at $95+ CAD but the website touted it was worth far more.  That's approximately $3.95 a product for the 24 day advent calendar.

As stated above, I won't purchase this again. I will use the items but, yes, I am disappointed. I would recommend the larger box but again beware of the repeat products and don't expect fun festive scents because they aren't in there.

Did you get the Body Shop Advent Calendar?  What did you think of it?  Do you have any recommendations of other beauty calendars to try?  I'd like to hear what they are to plan for next year!

Peppermint Hot Cocoa Bites Recipe

Are you like me and the Christmas treats and snacks are down to the last couple in the cookie jar? Maybe you’ve decided to do away with them because you’ve got to fit in to “real” pants to go to work tomorrow. 

You probably wouldn’t be impressed if I said Valentine’s Day will be here before you know it (it was * just * December the other day after all). This is a recipe I originally found on King Arthur’s Baking LINK but have changed and adapted it for my own liking. 

For Christmas I found peppermint candy cane topped chocolate wafers at Bulk Barn.  They were easily cut in half to fit on the tops of these small one bite cookies.  For a winter treat, a mini marshmallow would work in the middle as would a cinnamon heart for Valentines Day or a Hershey’s kiss, but not the full size, I’d choose the baking ones instead. Or just leave the topping off all together. 

I used Tim Horton’s products and even these could be played around with. After I’d made these they released their Candy Cane Hot Chocolate for the season. Starbucks had a Hot Chocolate mix out as well but I find their products pricier.  So you see, you can almost do as you like. 

The decaf coffee lends an interesting note but isn’t prominent. I used decaf because who wants to have their sleep interrupted because of too much caffeine? Maybe only Santa!

I really enjoyed these cookies with evening tea and now that the dull January days have started you just might enjoy them too. 

 

You Can Change Any Time You Want

There’s a lot of pressure at this time of year to make sweeping and drastic changes to your life because of the ringing in of the new year. 

I’m here to tell you that not only do you not need to do that but also that you can change any time you want to. Just because a New Year is approaching doesn't mean you have to have everything suddenly figured out or accomplish everything on your to-do list for 2023.  

You don’t need to do it January 1st 2024 either. You can do it today. You can do it Jan 15 or July 15 for that matter. 

Here's something else that might blow your mind.  If you do decide to start, you can re-start too.

And you can do that as many times as you want or need.

You can make and re-make the to-do list.  We change and our priorities change and it can all happen in a split second.

In a blog post I wrote last year, called Diet is NOT a Christmas Word, I talked about letting go of diet hang ups and enjoying all the season has to offer, within reason of course.  I'm not going to preach about healthy eating habits or joining gyms instead I think these words sum it up well.  "It's all right letting yourself go as long as you can let yourself back."  Mick Jagger said that.  I have no idea what it's in reference to but I'm fine not knowing because it serves me well just thinking about it.  I even have it as a quote in the sidebar of this blog page.

You have to give yourself permission to let yourself back.

We've all indulged over the holiday.  Sugar cookies, fudge, extra handfuls of M&M's while baking etc etc.....  I made the personal choice to just not worry over the holidays.  Do I want to be the miserable one wishing I could have the Nanaimo bar?  No.  However, just like I made that decision to not worry, I've also given myself the timeline to stop too.  Because in the same way that I don't want to be unhappy by having to decline Christmas goodies, I also don't want the feeling of how snug my pants feel.  The day I'm stopping?  That's the day my Christmas vacation is over and I go back to work.

We know that memories and food are tied together.  I remember one Christmas Eve we had a large family meal at my In-Laws and then went to the Christmas Eve church service.  We were so full!  We had to stand and sing and I recall looking over to my Father in Law because he too was struggling to sing and breath just like I was!  We decided to not do that again - the service not the food. Ha!

I also recall another Christmas where I had gotten pants as a gift and they didn't fit.  I went to the store in January and the size bigger didn't fit either.  Nor did the size bigger than that.  I felt so awful.  I was also unaware of how retailers are sneaky with their sizing.  Since then and working a stint in women's clothing retail I've realized the letters and numbers on the tag don't really mean a lot from store to store or within the same building!

Another friend, no not Mick Jagger, but Denny said to me many times ago, but I paraphrase... Christmas is 1 day out of 365 and not 365 itself.

Trying is the important part.  Will it be easy to have one snack instead of two?  Stop having the cream in my coffee or tea? Making sure I eat a fruit and a vegetable everyday?  You better believe I'm going to try though and try and try again.

In the autumn of 2020 I made the choice to try and be healthier.  T R Y.  I've made a lot of lifestyle changes since then which I'm very pleased with.  Times change and our bodies change and I am deciding to once again make health a priority.  I know that I have to exercise for my mental health as well as bodily health.  I know I need to keep track of my sugar, fat and fibre intake.  These are the things that have gotten me to 2023.

You can bet that I will restart many times.  It's fine if you do too. Starting or re-starting doesn't mean you've failed.  It means that you care enough to keep going.  Remember, failure is how the diet industry wants to make you feel and it's how they make money.  Words like "on track" or

"cheating" are words that fit into that category too.  Don't let them have power over your feelings.  Give yourself the power instead.

Fuel your body and mind. Nourish your soul. Make memories.  

Here's to all of us in 2024 and the changes we want to make or don't want to make.  We are all pretty amazing the way we are but I know, for my own self, that I can be an even better version and that's what I want to strive to be.

Don’t Buy Me Anything

My husband and I agreed to not exchange gifts this year.  It's one of the best decisions we've ever made.  It took the stress away of shopping when neither of us had the time to shop or find gift ideas.  As a result, we both enjoyed the lead up to Christmas so much more.

This idea isn’t for everyone likely. We just figured we buy whatever we want anyway so let’s do away with the secrets and subliminal hints and chances of disappointment. 

I remember one Christmas when my parents were supposed to do the same thing. 

Mom said, “Don’t buy me anything.”  But Dad knew he should and always wanted to treat my Mom to some kind of extravagant gift. 

In the 1980’s there was a local business that was advertising these new amazing coats from Norway or Sweden. LUDA coats. They were warm and very nice looking. Every evening after the news that store would do a fashion show on tv. It was a precursor to the infomercial. Dad had been into the store and arranged to have them model the couple of coats that he thought Mom would like. He watched for her reaction and then decided which one to give her for Christmas. 

Unbeknownst to Dad, the owner of the store knew that Dad liked a coat too. So he contacted mom and she bought dad a coat. 

I knew Dad bought Mom a coat. I knew Mom bought Dad a coat. No one else knew. 

Come Christmas morning there were two identically wrapped boxes underneath the tree. 

“What the heck is going on here” I’m sure my dad said. 

Well, they each got their coats and I was glad to not have to keep that secret any more. They wore those fancy coats for years and years.

Neither my husband nor I caved and we stuck to the agreement of not buying gifts. Now, if only we could agree to stay away from the leftover Christmas baking!

It’s All Gravy

Back the early 90's ( or the late 1900's as the teens say now ) when I was a newlywed, we lived in a little apartment on the second floor.  It had it's own outside entrance and I still remember counting the steps every evening when I'd return from work.

1 2 3 4 5 6...7 8 9 9  10 …and two steps to the door…11 12

We lived on a tight budget and while we had a tv and VCR, we didn't have cable TV.  This was before we all had computers and smartphones and could stream things from anyplace we happen to be.  If you weren't home to watch it, or didn't have the VCR timer set, you'd miss it.  It was as plain as that.  It was ‘must watch tv!’

My parents would record shows for us and we’d watch later on the good old VHS tape  They’d record things like Days of Our Lives, Martha Stewart Living and even the Seinfeld finale  

One winter evening for some reason I decided to see if there was anything beyond the few channels we got. CBC and CTV were the main channels with the French CBC and the parliamentary channel which no one watched.  

Then…

…It was like magic.  Beyond the snowy screen and static some images from Food Network and the W Network came through.

We still didn't have cable...but our neighbours did.  Their connection was on the same wall as our TV and our TV was picking up their coaxial signal through the wall.

I could almost hear a choir in angelic refrain.

For a few glorious weeks leading up to the holidays I was able to watch these fun and festive networks.  They'd come in particularly clear late at night and a favourite to watch was a lady whose name I think was Sara Molton.  All of her shows were instructing on how to perfect each part of a holiday meal.

I was in my early 20's and I'd never really had to be responsible for being able to make all the components of a festive gathering.  We had decided to start the tradition of having family members to our home on Christmas Eve.  Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes AND I had to be able to make gravy.

I wrote down all the steps from Sara's cooking show.  Her secret?  She used cornstarch as a thickener instead of flour like most do.  I have no recollection if I had a few trial runs before the big meal but I do know this method was very successful.  I still do it her way when making gravy from scratch!

Unless I'm using one of those handy clubhouse packets...

Then, just like THAT, we couldn't get the feed through the wall anymore and our tv returned to snowy static.

No more Food network.

We’ve come a long way since then.  It’ll be our 31st Anniversary this year.  I am a much better cook!  We don’t live close to family and I never have to prepare a large meal anymore.  Sometimes, late at night I still get that feeling of awe when the thought crosses my mind of  how the tv came to life for those few weeks that winter.

Recipes

My Mom's Punkin' Muffins

What's For Supper Tonight (Tex Mex Slow Cooker Recipe)

Cake Mix Cookies

My Go To Meatloaf Recipe

Grandma Larson's Casserole

Grandma Johnson's Casserole

Valentine's Day Cookies

Christmas Cookies

Swedish Brown Beans (Instant Pot)

Mocha Sugar Cookie Latte Bite Cookies

Oh Fudge!

A Recipe & Midnight Madness

Peppermint Hot Cocoa Bites