A whole lotta soap

Between tidying up, playing with the dogs, and cooking, I wash my hands almost all day long. It’s obvious that I would repurchase Ghost In The Dark, the soap bar that screams refreshing. It’s loaded with lemongrass and bergamot, 2 of my favorite scents. Blood Orange is a new addition and caters to my love of all things citrus. It smells like true blood orange and the lingering scent is to die for. The last soap item I got was one of the new shower slimes. The Lush Halloween 2022 Halloween slime is Sparkly Pumpkin, another citrus explosion pared with juniper berry. It’s as you would expect, slimy and oh so fun to play with!

Pamper Time

I was trying to try out the newest face mask to the family, Mr. Pumpkin Face. While the other products are Halloween themed, this is the first of this haul that actually has pumpkin in it. It’s a wonderful exfoliating mask that almost feels like a cream cheese spread. I wanted to slater this on a slice of bread instead of my face! It’s got nice chunks of pumpkin seed which can be perfect for exfoliating. It also has several different types of oils packed so you feel it when you wash the mask off. My skin was soft and fresh afterwards and not feeling oily or greasy. It’s packed with ton of vitamins so that your face is Autumn ready!

Ready for the Holidays

The Christmas drop is live, as of me writing up this post, so if I’m lucky, I’ll be able to grab a few of the things I forgot to pick up. This includes Vampire Kisses, and the Bat Mates Knot Wrap. Vampire Kisses is a lip scrub flavored like sour grape! Sour grape is my favorite flavor! I forgot to look for it in store and realized my mistake on the car ride home. The Bat Mates Knot Wrap is a simple knot wrap, commonly used for wrapping gifts. But the art on this is so beautiful that I’d want to frame it. I didn’t see it in store so it’s possible it wasn’t in stock yet.

As for the Christmas collection, I already know I’ve love to try out Cinnamon Stick and at least smell Turmeric Latte. I hope I’ll get to visit my local Lush again soon!

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Can you blame us though? The last few years have been rough on everyone. And the world hasn’t gotten much better since I last wrote. But lets get back to some positive feelings for now. Spring is finally here in The Netherlands. It’s impossible to avoid it. I figured now would be the best time to return to this space. The beginning of a new season always fills me with joy. Here is what I’ve been up to, along with a few updates on how we’ve been.

In full bloom
It’s been a strange year, what with many flowers having already bloomed in January. But there’s a lot more to be see in our area. And I’m so thankful for it. The sight of bright flowers lifts my mood and gets me excited for the future. There’s so much to talk about and I’ve taken a long enough break!

Catching up on reading
I’ve not forgotten my reading challenges but I’m kinder on myself this year. My goal is to read at least 10 books. I’m getting older and my time becomes more valuable with each passing year. This year I want a mix of genres I love, but also books that are relatable to me. I’ve finished reading Please Don’t Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes: Essays by Phoebe Robinson, and I found her book to be a great mix of relatable and eye opening. If you’re in the mood for a bit of comedy and a bit of grounding… Then you should take a look at this title, I had a great time with it. I want to read more books about the Asian-American immigrant experience so I’m on the look out. More updates to come when I get a hold of some good titles!

Gamer Hype
I’ve been playing games with friends on and off but I always value my alone time. I’m trying to balance out playing 2 different Pokémon titles, Animal Crossing and a few mobile games. I’d also love to write a post on Guild Wars 2 again. The expansion End of Dragons came out a few weeks back and the story still tugs at my heart. Guild Wars has been a huge part of my life as well and I’m willing to preach about it to anyone who will listen, haha.

Future Plans
Sander and I have a few music shows planned out, 1 or 2 conventions, and a 2 week holiday with his parents. You can be sure I want to write about everything. I haven’t been slacking in self improvement department. On top of continuing my Youtube channel, I’ve put in a lot of time learning to draw. Yes, I’ve been at it a while now… but with drawing, you can never stop learning. I signed up for 2 Domestika courses as well!

I’ve completed the Fantastical Illustrations with Procreate by Michael Relth course and I’m still working on my final piece for Atmospheric Scenes in Procreate: Paint with Color and Light by Ramona Wultschner. These courses have challenged the way I look at art as a whole, and pushed me to explore what I want to draw. It feels amazing to spend a week (or in my case, 2 or even 3) working on a piece to have it come together in the end. I’d love to take Drawing Appealing Characters with Personality by Magdalina Dianova, but I need to figure out if I need to practice anatomy more before I dive in.

So for now, those are all the updates I have. I’d love to write more but some weeks are uninteresting. As things start opening up, and we start getting out, there will be more to talk about. If you’ve been with me this long, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. We all had a difficult adjusting to the changes in our lives and I couldn’t find the motivation to write. I do love writing and I hope I can do more of it this year.

The post Welcome spring – some updates appeared first on A Daily Lee.

Sex Bomb
We live in The Netherlands and that means we have a washroom, a single often tiny room for the toilet. And you know how toilet rooms can get at times, especially if they’re super tiny. It’s been months since I decided to invest in a Lush body spray as a bathroom spray… Let me tell you, I will never go back. Especially with Sex Bomb. It’s an exotic blend of jasmine, sage and ylang ylang oils. Imagine yourself on a spicy, floral journey into the unknown, that’s what this scent is all about. Honestly, if I didn’t use it for the bathroom, I’d use it on myself.

Orange Blossom
Before I left California I had one wish. I wanted to find a perfume that would remind me of home. Of springs spent in orange groves where the blossoms would fall like rain. It was a tall order though and I left without finding something. And here it is now. Orange blossom is that perfect delicate scent of those same orange groves I grew up with. It’s also got a woody flavor to it with rosewood and bergamot. It’s not strong but it lasts for ages. When I get a whiff of it, I’m right back in California. I’ve never been so happy about perfume! Well I do still love my Ectoplasm, but that’s also a citrus scent. I guess I just have a think for citrus?

Lord of Misrule
This was another scent that isn’t new to our house hold but it’s a limited edition one. Available only once a year, Lord of Misrule is another spicy trek into the unknown. It’s got black pepper and patchouli for that double attack of a scent so specific, you’d know it on first sniff. It’s something hard to describe with words, but trust me… Once you try it, you either love it or hate it. We love it so much we went for the biggest bottle this year.

Pumpkin Spice
And of course, no Lush haul would be complete without a bar of soap. Not included in this photo is also the bar of Pumpkin Spice I picked up. I wanted to keep it wrapped up and protected until I use it. And smells exactly as it is named. The cool think about it is it has pumpkin seeds baked in so you can use them to scrub your body and get rid of the tough grime from Trick or Treating! I can’t wait to open up this one but I’m still working on a Christmas Jelly from last year!

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A healthy selection
Before I get into what we walked away with, I’d like to talk about what they had to offer. When I first came to The Netherlands, it was hard for me to find anything Halloween. We went to TJ Maxx in 2019 but didn’t find anything we liked. This year we found too much stuff! There was an entire corner for Halloween goodies. Sander could see the excitement on my face too! He immediately asked if I needed a cart.

Different styles, different tastes
Whether you like the creep side or the elegant side of Halloween, there was a ton to look at in the store. TJ Maxx doesn’t have an online store so you’ll have to make the trek down and see what’s in stock. I found a lot of items that look good for any party or even regular décor use. It depends on you and your taste but there’s something for everyone.

Our Haul
It’s easy to get carried away when it comes to buying things, so it’s important to show restraint. I made sure to get things we would actually use. So we got a new door mat with a pumpkin and Happy Halloween on it… We also got an pumpkin spice candle, a new throw blanket that’s the softest in the world… And new doggy bed with cute pups and pumpkins. I couldn’t help myself with that one. We have a ton of dog beds but this particular one had little Shiba Inu on it and I caved. There was also a beautiful Ouija board game inspired throw pillow! It’s the most comfortable pillow in the world. I’ve always snuggled up with it a dozen times to watch Doom Patrol.. Speaking of which I should write about what I’ve been watching recently huh?

Should I check it out?
If you’re a lover of all things autumn and Halloween, and have been looking for a way to spruce up with some new things, I say yes! It’s known that all TJ Maxx Halloween inventories are different so each store may or may not have the items I wrote about. But it’s still worth a shot. I found everything I had wanted (the pillow!) and a few more items that I fell in love with. Necessary? No, but lovely all the same.

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Smaller gatherings
A normal Dutch birthday party has everyone involved. Since The Netherlands is so small, people can from anywhere to anywhere and return home the same day. I’ve seen people from the north and the far south make it for previous parties. Birthdays are the best time to visit family. The Dutch don’t have holidays like Thanksgiving where entire families gather around a table. So if you take away birthdays, you take away the biggest family event. It’s been rough for some, I can tell you that. But for others, it invites intimate conversations and tighter bonds.

No Kisses
I was shocked about the kisses on the cheek etiquette when I first arrived in The Netherlands. It was interesting and a bit of a novelty for me. But as time went on, it felt so awkward having to give air kisses to people I didn’t know. So I sucked it up and just went with it because it’s part of an old custom. You can say I did breathe a sigh of relief when we had to distance ourselves… No more getting cheek to cheek with strangers!

More expensive cake
The Dutch are super thrifty and from my experience, quantity was more important than quality. Not to say that cakes (tarts) from the local grocer aren’t tasty. They’re super delicious and I would eat them every day if I could. But since we’re just having Sander’s parents over, we decided to splurge and get a more exciting cake. Sander got a few slices of whipped cream cake and apple pie. I was even able to get a slice of Red Velvet cake for myself! Anyone who knows me, knows that I love, love, love red velvet cake. There’s something about the sour flavor of the cake and the cream cheese filling that drives me crazy!

Home deliveries
I used to get so excited around Sander’s birthday. I could venture out into the city and look for a gift for him. Something fun, unique, or something that he’s wanted for a long time. This year.. I drew a blank. Thankfully Sander found something online that he fell in love with. But it’s coming from Japan so he’s going to have to do some waiting!

Fancy Eats
Sander and I love Indian food and we’re lucky enough that we have tasty stuff pretty close by. Normal Dutch birthdays have simple treats, finger foods and cake of course. But with a private party, we could order out and thoroughly enjoy our meal. It’s been a long time since we had Indian food, so it was nice to dig into something familiar. The meal we got had flavors that scream comfort food. It was so accessible to me when I lived in California that I never thought twice about it. But my heritage foods mean more to me than they did in the past. It’s another wonderful reason to celebrate. Because many Dutchies can’t touch spicy food and none of this was spicy!

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I decided to take the plunge into getting a pair after seeing a few good reviews about them. They’re comparable to iPods and sounded like a good investment.

Installation
Once I figured out that I needed to turn on my PC’s Bluetooth, installation was a breeze. And don’t even ask about my phone, it was even easier than that!

Quality
I was most worried about the quality of my sound. But I’ve never heard my music more clear. Podcasts sound amazing as well, as if I’m in the recording booth with the people I listen to. The fit of the E25 are perfect too. I don’t have to worry about them falling out because they fit in so snug. I use the smallest rubber inserts for them as well.

Unintended use
So I bought these babies to use while editing for my Youtube channel but what I didn’t take into account… Was the battery life. The life of the Raycon E25 ear buds is about 6 hours. Which is great! If you don’t spend more than 6 hours on your computer. And I spend a lot more time on mine. So now I mostly use the E25 while I’m doing chores or chilling away from my PC. It’s also been amazing to use in bed as well. I can listen to music late into the night while Sander is snores away next to me.

Final thoughts
Once I got over the limitations of what the E25 can do, I’m happy to say I don’t regret the purchase. There are tons more expensive and probably better buys. But for me, The Raycon E25 works. I’m excited to take them on vacation next year. They’ve been wonderful so far and charging them takes no time at all. If you’ve been on the fence about ordering a pair, I say you should. I used the discount code from one of my favorite YouTube channels, Dead Meat, so I got the shipping subtracted from my total. These are American based headphones so keep that in mind while ordering.

This post was not sponsored, I just wanted to share my thoughts and experiences.

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Safe and not sorry
Sander and I have finished our vaccinations. We’re still playing it safe by keeping away from crowded spaces. But it feels nice to know that our chances of meeting Ms. Rona have diminished. My mom and brother have been good for a while, they got their vaccines back in the spring. But we had to wait a lot longer for the roll out. The Netherlands was a bit slow in the rollout but it wasn’t too hard for us to wait for it. The Dutch summer has brought out tons of people… As they say, the Dutch are like sunflowers. When the sun is out, so are they!

Found a sleep cure
I’ve never been a good sleeper. As a night owl, I can stay awake for hours before I get tired. I thought that the Dutch summer would keep me up with warm temperatures but this year has been mild. The down side to that is that I’m always up at 9:30am. And then even if I was able to sleep at a decent time, I couldn’t get a restful sleep. It got to the point where I was tired all day, even after a full 8 or 9 hours.

So I decided to hop back on melatonin for the time being. I used it often when I lived in America because I suffered from the same thing. The first morning, I felt like I had died and come back. Everything was so heavy and it took me half an hour to get out of bed. Now my sleep schedule is better, I sleep restfully, and I wake ready to go.

Fixed a reading drought
Have you ever had a point where you sat down to read and couldn’t do it. I’d stare at my pages for hours and not read a single sentence. Earlier this year I decided I wanted to throw myself right back in. So I started with a series that I’ve been waiting years to read. It’s a Japanese series about supernatural forces, demons and spirits, girls galore and moral integrity. I had wanted to learn Japanese to read it and that’s how I met Sander! Now all these years later, the 20 books from the original series are available in English. I’ve already powered though 5 of them! I try to read at least 100 pages a night before bed. So far so good!

Invested in myself
I’ve fallen off the Ring Fit wagon, but that was because of a medical scare I had months ago. I’m fine, but I didn’t want to make my condition worse by working out… I keep talking about how working out is amazing but I can’t even hold myself accountable! I’ve been taking longer walks as a result though. This Dutch summer has been beautiful for long walks with the dogs. I’m going to do my best to start up next week… I promise! Otherwise I’ve cut back a lot on junk foods and replaced my favorite things with healthier eats. No more ice cream, I enjoy yogurt. No more chips, let’s bring on fruits! I’ve mentioned before that our meals are vegetarian and we’ve stuck with that. I’ve lost a few more inches off of my waist line so I’m not complaining at all.

Something else that I’m working on, is my mental health. I’m bad with journaling and talking out my issues. Instead I’ve been taking more time to meditate and focus on what fuels negativity in my life. I’ve been tackling some childhood trauma and coming to terms with my issues. I’m doing a lot better for sure!

Reconnected with friends
Something else that actually took me by surprise… Was the resurfacing of my online friends. I lost contact with a lot of them back in late 2019 so I spent most of 2020 playing games alone. Don’t worry! I have Sander’s family and my own to talk to. My brother actually took the time to play video games with me and those days were the best. But a friend from my favorite online game, Guild Wars 2, got in contact with me and from there the ball went rolling. Now I have a group of online friends again and it’s been amazing to reconnect with them all. It’s brightened up my weekends.

Not much more has happened in the last few months but I had a good break from writing. I’ve filled my schedule with a lot of things so I’ve been juggling my tasks. Blogging didn’t seem to fit in, but I miss it so much that I’m forcing it in. I’ll do my best to not burn out. I do need to practice better time management.

Either way it feels good to write again!

The post Dutch sunny summer days appeared first on A Daily Lee.

What is the Dutch Residency Permit?
Dutch Residency Permit is important for a non-Dutch citizen like myself. It allows me to travel most of Europe without a passport for up to 90 days. But most importantly it allows me to live in The Netherlands without issue. It’s the official ID for non-Dutch residents and without it I’d be living here illegally!

When can I get one?
This special permit is granted after filing for one with the Dutch Integration website. Sander and I are together and that’s the main reason for my stay. We had to prove our relationship to the government. It was an easy enough process and I received mine after a few months of waiting. After that comes the hard part. I had to complete the Dutch Integration Exams. These include (when I took them) 5 exams and one job interview known as the ONA. I had 3 years to do them, so I had enough time to practice and get pretty good scores. The Dutch Residency Permit placed me in the system and reminders came almost monthly about taking the exams… It’s actually pretty important and the fines for failure are quite high.

How long does it last?
My particular Dutch Residency Permit lasts for 5 years! There are permits that are only 1 year though so be aware of what sort of permit you have.

How can I renew my permit?
After I had gotten the results of my tests, I got silence from the government. I had no idea what I’d have to do when the ID came close to expiring so I got worried. Lucky for me, I got a letter in the mail that alerted me when I was eligible to renew my permit. The process is super simple compared to everything else. Log into the website, answer some questions about yourself, and pay the fee.

It does ask if the reason for living in The Netherlands is the same. In my case it is! We’ve applied and we’re now waiting to see if I need to go in for fingerprints and an updated signature. They also mention I might need a passport photo, so I’ll have to dig mine out! I applied for a new passport last year and that process went super smooth.

How do I become a citizen?
In my particular circumstances, I can actually apply for citizenship this year. However, there are conditions. The biggest one is, I would have to give up my American Citizenship. That’s not something I’d like to do though, as I still have family and assets in America. One way around this is to either marriage or a domestic partnership with Sander. I may need to take a few exams as well. The stress and paperwork don’t seem worth it right now so all I’m doing is a renewal. But this also means that if something happens to Sander or our relationship dissolves, I cannot stay in The Netherlands. My reason for being here is to be with him and if that reason is void then I need to go back to America!

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The Search
I knew I wanted to shop local stores and help out a smaller business. The issue with that was… Curtains are super expensive! We have large windows because our windows are French doors. We needed something tall enough and wide enough to fit and not break the bank. In the beginning I found curtains starting at €600 for one window. That’s so expensive! And we had 2 French doors plus a smaller 3rd window to furnish! There was no way we could afford something like that. So I began to consider my options.

The Find
I was on Ikea one day and found the LENDA curtains. I loved how they needed little work to be installed. The tab heading on the top meant we didn’t need to buy rings. Put up a rod and slide those babies in. Simple and clean, they were thick enough to block light but still allow a decent amount in. Which meant we could even keep the curtains closed during the day and not be in the dark. There are sometimes when the weather outside is disgusting, and I don’t want to see that! The white shade of the curtains was even super close to the white trim we already had in the flat. These curtains were perfect. What wasn’t perfect.. Was the size. While they were tall enough, they weren’t wide enough to cover the French doors.

The Problem
The LENDA curtains are 140cm and we needed something that was at least 270cm per panel. That’s a lot of fabric! It was understandable that buying something that would fit the space, would also cost an arm and a leg. I spent months searching for another solution and then it hit me. Why not do a little of my own DIY? I could these curtains into something that could fit the space. The idea was super simple too.

The Solution
We would buy double the amount of curtains and sew two panels together to make one large panel. Would it work? I had no idea, but I had faith that I could make it work. So we took the plunge and bought 5 sets of LENDA curtains. Since we had a smaller window we didn’t have to worry about that one. A single panel worked fine for that one! Thank goodness for little blessings, huh? We put up the single panel and figured out the length of what we needed. The panels are super long to fit any space! So another hurdle popped up. I would need to sew not only 2 panels together, but take it up from the bottom as well since 300cm was way too long.

So I borrowed Sander’s mom’s sewing machine and set aside a few hours to work. First I took 2 panels and sewed them together, starting at the top so that they would match up. This was the correct way to work, as the panels didn’t match by the time I got to the bottom. Of course, panic set in until I realized that I was cutting off a chunk of the bottom and that it didn’t matter either way. Once the bottom length was hemmed and cut, we had some beautiful looking curtains that draped like a dream and had more than enough fabric to cover the windows.

The Verdict
I never thought I would love a space this much. The change in tone of the room is like night and day. I wish I had photos of the old space for a comparison but I don’t! Needless to say our living room looks elevated and even a bit chic. We’re still working on our flat little by little to achieve a home that we’re both proud of. I love that we finally took the plunge and installed curtains. This is such a huge step in the right direction for our place. And we didn’t spend more than €300 for this makeover. This is the first step in changes around our place that we had planned for the spring! Be sure to come back and see what else we decide to do!

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Going from the description on Lush, Lime Bounty consists of a lime and coconut mix that is the ultimate thirst quencher for skin. The dreamy notes of Persian lime and nut butters make up a majority of the scent. On top sits fresh coconut crumble.

Now it’s common for new Lush items to sell out immediately. Which is what I thought I’d see when I logged onto the website. You can bet I was more than excited to see it was still in stock online. I opted for the 100g box because I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it or not. I have been stuck with the occasional scent that is too much for me. It happens, not every brand is perfect.

So first onto the smell. Have you ever had a delicious key lime pie that you can’t forget? That’s this scent. It’s light, it’s fresh, it’s an early morning in the summer before the heat sets in and makes you sticky. I’ve always had a huge love for citrus scents and flavors and this made me dream of heaven.

The texture of this body cream is thick and luxe. There’s almost a “whipped” quality to it. The coconut crumble, which is what I assume is shea butter with coconut extract, doesn’t take too long to absorb. It’s a bit annoying if you’re using this body butter as a hand cream. But it’s only on the top layer and not throughout.

I’m head over heels in love with this body butter. Lime Bounty is something a bit rare in Lush. It’s a delicate and juicy flavor, where most scents are sticky or musky. I appreciate the fruitiness of it and I can’t wait to use it all summer long. The extra bits of shea butter will go a long way into my dried out skin. I often forget to lather up with lotions after a shower, I’m super lazy. But with this beautiful scent and the promise of shorts and summer, I can’t wait until it’s all sun and fun!

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