Nightwolf's Den

From the Den

Disclosure: I was given product or vouchers to trial the following products. All opinions are my own.

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a From the Den post. We’ve been trying a few new things lately so I thought I’d share 🙂 cause I’m nice like that hehe

PONG mobile cases. I’m usually a bit sceptical when it comes to mobile phones and the whole radiation thing so when I was offered the chance to try a mobile case that claims to cut radiation as well as improve signal & battery life I thought well it can’t hurt to try it out. Pong cases claim to reduces exposure to cellular radiation by up to 94% below international safety limits, by redirecting mobile phone radiation away from your head and body as well as improve signal strength by up to 30%. Efficient antenna performance is meant to increase talk-time battery life.
After having a case with a flip over cover for so long, it was a little strange at first to go to the slip on design. The rubber side grips are comfy and it comes in a range of colours. Can’t say anything about the radiation but I did notice an improvement in battery life and signal strength.
If radiation from mobiles is a worry for you this would be a great case – the extended battery life is a bonus! PONG make cases for the iPhone 3 up to the iPhone 5, iPad (1 through 4 and the mini), some Android phones & some Blackberry phones. You can buy PONG phones online. Prices range from $49.99 for the Motorola Droid X/X2 case to $129.99 for an iPad case

Coles GRILL products. Thanks to VIBE Village I had the opportunity to try out the new Coles GRILL range. We tried the Pepper & Chilli Beef, Honey Soy Chicken Skewers, Tasmanian Salmon Teriyaki and Southern Style Chicken Shanks. We had 2 friends round for a BBQ and we were surprised to have leftovers. The beef was moist and full of flavour and not too spicy like we thought it would be. The salmon was delish. The chicken skewers were quite yum (I only got half of one, Miss K scarfed the rest – she loves her chicken) but probably could have done with more marinade. Didn’t try the chicken shanks but hubby assured me they were yum. Love the fact these are just open and cook. Would be great if you had to take something to a BBQ and wanted to grab something on the way or to stash in the freezer for a quick meal option.

Fing’rs nail makeup. I love wearing nail polish but it really doesn’t like me. I put it on and within an hour it’s all chipped. Doesn’t matter if I get my nails done professionally either – still chipped within a couple of hours. Makes me sad. And I’m not coordinated enough to do all the fancy nail art I keep pinning on Pinterest. So when I got the chance to try the new range of Fing’rs Nail Makeup I thought awesome! There are 8 designs in the new L.A. range. I tried Hollywood first, it’s pink with silver dots. Application is really easy – just choose your nail size, peel from the backing, stick to your nail then fold the end and file to your nail shape. The packaging says they will last for up to 7 days. Mine lasted through a kids party & all the prep for that, a swim, general housework. We’re on day 6 and they are only starting to look a little shabby at the ends. I’m debating about trying a layer of clear nail polish over the top next time to give them a bit more protection. Fing’rs nail make up is available at selected Coles & Kmart stores for $9.99

And now the exciting part. I’ve got a full set of the new Fing’rs LA range to give to one reader. That’s 8 different designs for you to try.

To enter, use the Rafflecopter form below, help me choose which Nail Makeup I should try next.
Entry is for Australian residents only.

And the winner is Jody. Congratulations. Thanks to all who commented and the winning choice will be revealed on Twitter & Instagram later today 😉 It was very close

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kiss & Make up

Happy Valentine’s Day!

1 in 79 Australian women will develop Ovarian Cancer by the age of 85. Although the average age of diagnosis is 64, women of all ages have been diagnosed. The youngest I know of is 3!

So after sharing that with you I thought today is the perfect day to share with you a great new app. K.I.S.S and Makeup, available for free in the iTunes store.

Know the Important Signs and Symptoms: this Valentine’s Day Ovarian Cancer Australia is asking everyone in Australia to K.I.S.S. their loved ones to make sure they know the important signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer. With the click of a button you can share a K.I.S.S. and help your friends know the important signs and symptoms. Developed thanks to generous funding from the Victorian Department of Health, the app informs women about the symptoms and risks of ovarian cancer and enables them to share this information with family and friends. The symptom diary allows users to easily track the type and severity of their symptoms each day for four weeks. This information can be converted into a report for women to present to their doctor should they have any concerns.

What are the important signs & symptoms?

Abdominal or pelvic pain
Increased abdominal size or persistent bloating
Needing to urinate often or urgently
Feeling full after eating a small amount

If you have these symptoms (& they are new or unusual) and experience them most days over 2-4 week period, please see your doctor. Ovarian cancer is relatively uncommon and most women with these symptoms won’t have Ovarian Cancer but it is better to be safe and get it checked. Pap smears don’t detect Ovarian Cancer and there is no early detection test.

This great little app also has some great make up tips from Miranda Kerr’s Australian makeup artist, Allyson Boyle.

Grab it now in the App Store and KISS all your female friends and relatives this Valentine’s Day

Ovarian Cancer Awareness

This month (February) is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. I’m turning my blog, Twitter and Facebook teal for the month to show my support for those currently battling Ovarian Cancer and for the families who have lost a loved one.

Ovarian Cancer is a disease where some of the cells in one or both ovaries start to grow abnormally and develop into cancer. There currently is no screening test for Ovarian Cancer. If your doctor suspects ovarian cancer, there are a number of tests they can perform to help decide whether your symptoms are due to ovarian cancer or other causes. Of these tests, it is strongly recommended that both the CA125 blood test and the transvaginal ultrasound are performed. If these tests strongly suggest ovarian cancer, then your doctor will recommend an operation, which is the only definite way to diagnose ovarian cancer.

Every woman needs to know what the symptoms of Ovarian Cancer. Make sure you do.
Women who are diagnosed with ovarian cancer report four types of symptoms most frequently:

Abdominal or pelvic pain.
Increased abdominal size or persistent abdominal bloating.
Needing to urinate often or urgently.
Feeling full after eating a small amount.

Most women who experience these symptoms don’t have Ovarian Cancer but if you experience these symptoms regularly over a four week period, please discuss your symptoms with a doctor and if other reasons don’t rule out your symptoms ask to be tested for Ovarian Cancer

Events during February to raise awareness of Ovarian Cancer include

WNBL Teal Ribbon Round (Feb 1st to Feb 3rd)
Brazilian Butterfly Queen of the Lake – Melbourne, Vic (see starttofinish.com.au for more details)
Contours 6 Week Challenge – see Contours website for more info
K.I.S.S. on Valentine’s Day (I’ll be sharing more about this on Feb 14)
GO Festival
Afternoon Teal – Mum & I will be hosting ours later this month
Teal Ribbon Day. Wednesday 29th Feb. Teal Ribbon Day is a way to show your support for Ovarian
Cancer awareness, support and research and recognise those affected.

The majority of the information in this post comes from Ovarian Cancer Australia. Support this organisation – they do an amazing job! Follow them on Twitter or like them on Facebook. I am in no way associated with this organisation. I am blogging about this cause because it is close to my heart.

Work wear for under $100? Challenge accepted

Disclaimer: I was given a Target gift card to purchase work wear and accessories. All opinions and wording is my own, unless otherwise noted.

When you work from home there is often the tendency to wear what ever you lay your hands on first thing of a morning. Be a work-from-home mum and the tendency to wear something comfy & that hides a multitude of stains is more so. I’ve had quiet a few days when I can still be found in my pjs at midday.

When I was offered the chance to shop at Target and see if I could get something stylish yet practical for under $100 I thought challenge accepted!

Now our nearest Target is about 40 minutes away BUT thanks to the wonders of the internet & online shopping I was able to browse the City Dressing range of women’s wear in the comfort of my own home. I selected a few pieces, wrote down the names & then a couple of days later headed into Launceston to go check out my wish list

First on the list was some new underwear, cause your underwear is the foundation of any outfit looking great! I really love how the underwear at Target is so affordable and in a great range of styles and sizes. I mean you can get a new bra for as little as $7.50 and new undies from as little as $5 a pair! So undergarments sorted. No I’m not sharing what I bought but you can check out the styles of bras and undies online. Next stop tops & trousers.

I decided to go with trousers just cause I’m not really a skirt person. I wear jean a lot, and even though the IT industry can be pretty laid back as far as work wear goes, I decided to get something a little more professional. I have quite a few pairs of long length trousers so checked out the 3/4 lengths and capris. I also wanted something not black as 90% of the trousers I already own are black. Ended up picking the City Dressing Linen Crop Pants
OMG these pants are super comfy. Great for work, chasing that super active toddler AND even heading out to a spring/summer bbq/party/drinks with mates/blogger event. AND they only set me back $24.88
If you prefer longer work pants, the City Dressing range has lots of great options and prices start from a cheap $20

The selection of tops in the City Dressing range varies from shirts to tops that will take you from work to after work. I could have spent hours trying on tops. In the end I selected 3 – the City Dressing Striped Short Sleeve Shirt; the City Dressing Ruffle Top With Necklace; and a black & white spotted sleeveless
I ended up picking the City Dressing Ruffle Top With Necklace. Casual yet dressy enough to meet with clients.

Now accessories, since the top came with a necklace I didn’t worry about getting another. I looked at a few things but what I was looking for wasn’t available in my local Target so I decided to accessory shop online. I picked up a new phone wallet and a new belt. And cause I really like it I added a new ring.

So my outfit for under $100

City Dressing Linen Crop Pants – $24.88

City Dressing Ruffle Top With Necklace – $39

Phone wallet – $15

Belt – $15

(underwear & ring purchased separately)

Shoes are my own

So there you go. Can you get a work outfit – that will work if your a mum of an active toddler and/or take you out after work – for under $100? At Target, the answer is yes you can!

20 Days: Days 6-10

I actually managed to keep up this time so here are days 6-10

Day 6 was the bathroom. Love that our bathroom is fairly small so stays pretty tidy so it was just a quick once over.

Before

and after

Day 7 and we cleaned out the fridge. And I managed to declutter my cookbooks. I’ve scanned the recipes I use often and the ones I want to try so now I can get rid of some cookbooks.

Before and after

Day 8 was cleaning the sunroom which is Miss K’s playroom. This room is such a pigsty with paper everywhere & stuff gets dumped there before getting taken to the office.

Before and after

Day 9 was cleaning out the junk drawer and organising my calendar & diary

and after

and finally day 10 was cleaning the oven. I hate cleaning the oven with a passion but I have actually been keeping up with cleaning it so it was a pretty easy job this time round.

The Winter Blogathon 2013–Update

Still very wrong typing that 😉 but with the weather we’ve had in the last couple of days it could be winter.

So the blogathon is over and I’ve managed to do heaps and added a few more things to my original list:

~~Write up some blog posts and schedule them.~~
~~Catch up on reviews or other posts.~~
~~Brainstorm ideas for blog~~.
~~Clean up your labels/tags~~
~~Backup your blog (& FB & Twitter)~~
~~Start Project Life series (& scheduled to post at the end of January)~~
~~start work on series I want to do in 2nd half of 2013~~
~~Set up blog planner in diary~~
~~clean up and sort emails~~
~~clean up evernote~~
~~set up blogging app on ipad~~
~~start to create my own blog planner printable~~
make sure my blog & sm branding is consistent – it’s my birthday today so I’ll be working on this one tomorrow
add a pinterest mouseover button to my blog (see above)

Loved getting so much done over the weekend and look forward to the next Blogathon in June. Learnt lots to with the mini challenges and found a heap of new blogs to check out.

Happy Australia Day!

Today is our national day. A day to celebrate Aussie pride. To have BBQs and cold beer and maybe even listen to Triple J’s Hottest 100. Oh and to watch the cricket if there is any on. Maybe even a game of backyard cricket. To give thanks to that British mob who came here years ago. To celebrate we live in a pretty free place where we can say and do pretty much what we want (within reason of course). To some it is a day of mourning and loss, not a day of celebration.

We’re celebrating Australia Day this year pretty much as a normal weekend (except maybe for the little bit of planning for my birthday on Monday & it’s a public holiday woot!). We’ll have snags for tea. Hubby has his mate coming round to play the Doctor Who RPG and I’ll be playing round on the internet 😉

I did try out a couple of new recipes I’d found on Pinterest – No Knead Cheese & Onion Beer Bread by Not Quite Nigella; and homemade butter in the food processor.

First was Not Quiet Nigella’s beer bread. This was the first time I’d seen her site and will be going back to check out some more of her recipes.

(note the great Tassie beer)

Chuck it all in the bowl and mix is pretty much all there is to this recipe. Put it in a loaf tin and bake for 45-50 minutes.

Serve warm with butter

I thought this was the perfect chance to try out another recipe – homemade butter in the food processor. Can’t credit myself for this recipe but I did Australianise it a bit (we don’t have heavy cream here – I used Thickened cream and it worked fine)

2 cups thickened (or pure) cream. Has to be full fat cream – the more fat the better apparently
pinch or two of salt, optional
Pour your cream into the food processor. Put it on high. Check it after 2 minutes. If it has started to separate all good, if not give it another couple of minutes (mine took about 3 1/2 minutes). It should look like this

If it looks like that, pour off the liquid – this is your buttermilk: keep it, you can use it to make pancakes and other stuff. Add about 1/8 cup cold water. Replace lid, pulse 4 times. Pour off the liquid. Repeat.

Place your butter in a strainer and allow any excess liquid to drain. There are heaps of suggestions to drain your butter online – squeezing it between butter paddles, putting your butter on a marble board and squeezing the liquid out with a spoon – I lined a colander with a clean Chux cloth over a bowl and let it drain in the fridge.

Put it in a bowl and stir in your salt if desired. And there you go – homemade butter! Should last about 3 days

I was going to make lamingtons but realised we didn’t have enough flour. So lamingtons will have to wait 🙁

The Winter Blogathon 2013

Ok so it feels really weird typing that as it is the middle of summer here in Australia. I posted the other day I’ve signed up for the January blogathon and this is my official kick off post.

“You know all those items on your Blogging To Do list? Those things you’ve been meaning to get to but haven’t had a chance? Now’s your chance to get a large amount of them done!”

First I’d like to say hi to my new readers who may be checking out my blog for the first time thanks to the Blogathon. My name is Caroline (aka Nightwolf) and you can read a little about me here.

What’s on my To Do list? Well……

Write up some blog posts and schedule them.
Catch up on reviews or other posts.
Brainstorm ideas for blog.
Clean up my labels/tags
Backup my blog
Start Project Life series
start work on series I want to do in 2nd half of 2013
Set up blog planner in diary
clean up and sort emails
clean up Evernote
set up blogging app on ipad
I’m sure I’ll think of something else over the weekend

You can keep up to date with everything related to the Blogathon on Twitter by following the #blogathon2 hashtag.

20 Days – Days 1 to 5

It took a little longer than I thought to get the first five days done. Life (& bushfires) happened.

Day 1 was focusing on the kitchen. This is what I had to contend with….

Hubby was out helping his sister defend their place from a bush fire so I gave Miss K some play dough, some paint with water and chucked on ABC 4 Kids and she was happy to play while I got stuck into the kitchen. I was sooo tempted to pull everything from the cupboards and sort them but I managed to restrain myself lol.

Here’s my task list for the day and here’s my clean kitchen

Day 2 – the master bedroom, or as it’s commonly known in our house – the dumping room.

I struggled with this room. Not so much getting all the clothes put away but all the scrapbook stuff that makes it’s home in our bedroom. I’m still slowly sorting it out and working out what I want to keep here (Project Life, wedding album, Journal Your Christmas) and what will go to the scrap room at Mum & Dad’s. So not 100% clean but much better than it was before.

On to day 3 and we’re in the laundry

Our laundry is usually pretty good so it was just a quick clean and tidy. Gave the washing machine a good clean as well.

Our lounge room frequently looks like a bomb site & day 4 this was my focus

I have to admit, did a little more than was on the list cause I was getting sick of all the mess. Swear our lounge room will never be clean til someone grows up & doesn’t drag all her toys out here.

Finally a nice easy day focusing on the floors & the pantry. No floor photos but here’s the pantry.

I did go a little overboard in the pantry and decided to recover the shelves. OMG remind me never to do that idea again. I’d love to have the money to pull out all the shelves and replace it with something from Howards Storage World or IKEA.

If you’re doing the challenge, how’re you faring? And for the record, here’s my kitchen bench after 5 days (which is actually 15 days total *sigh* – hopefully the next five days will be a bit better)

I may have signed up for this…..

The Biannual Blogathon Bash. It’s a chance to get a start on all those things on your blogging to do list. There are 2 a year – January and June. The event will take place on a weekend and will run for 72 hours. 8am Friday to 8am Monday EST.

I’ll be back Saturday morning (unless I’m still up midnight Friday – the challenge starts 8am Friday in the US which is about midnight here) with my list of blogging tasks I wish to accomplish over the 72 hours.

Would love to know if any other Aussies are taking part.