Popcorn and Movie Night



I promised the kids another movie night since last night, when we watched The Lego Movie, we didn't get to do popcorn. We did homemade caramel corn (not as fancy as it sounds, I did make the hat, though!) and Pokemon.

The caramel corn is just a cup of unwrapped caramel candies and a tablespoon-ish of milk melted together and stirred, then poured over popcorn.

Perler Bead Scam Update



I woke up this morning to find this email reply from Amazon! (Read the original blog post here.)


Hello, 

 I'm sorry to hear that one of our sellers provided a misleading information to you regarding with the product purchased. WE want our customers to experience great customer service and I completely understand that you want an immediate action regarding this issue. 

 To help you with this, I'd like to ask you to send a report to our investigations team about this. Each report they receive is investigated and the appropriate action is taken. However, we won't be able to release the outcome of the investigation. Please go to the link below and select "Report a violation of our rules" as the subject line: 

 http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/reports 

 Please be sure to include the order ID if available. If the order ID isn't available, please include the ASIN in the comments and fill out the seller name field when submitting the form. 

 Rest assured this issue will be passed to the appropriate team for them to take further actions regarding with the problem. 

 I do apologize for the inconvenience this issue has caused you. 

 I hope this incident will not affect your future purchases h us. We hope to see you again soon.

 Best regards,
Ace C.


There was also an email notifying me that a refund had been issued. THIS is why I LOVE Amazon! What other company takes such good care of their customers so quickly? This is how you create lifetime customers. 

I've sent my report on to their investigation team. Let's see how long that seller is still scamming people on Amazon. :) I'll update more later.



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    Buyer Beware: Perler Bead Scam




    I go through Perler Beads really fast and order quite a bit of them, usually through Amazon. On June 27, 2015, I found a decent deal on beads (which I needed quickly). I ordered them through a seller called "Qin H", who had an extremely high seller ranking (as seen below).



    I thought it was a bit strange that the beads came in small ziplock type back instead of the usually packaging. 





    Working with beads so much, I noticed that these beads felt a bit different than usually. These were NOT Perler Beads. I'd been ripped off. The beads I'd gotten were a cheap knock off that were absolutely horrible! 

    Apparently, some vendors routinely stock the off brand (which costs significantly less than the Perler Brand), mark them up, and sell them as Perler Brand beads. 

    Item page on Amazon, listing these as Perler Brand beads


    Why am I making such a big deal about this? Well, first, it's just plain dishonest of them. Second, well, this is what the off brand beads looked like after I melted/fused them.

    A small film from the cheap beads melted over the top of the white.
    The low grade plastic had all sorts of problems when melted. They wouldn't melt evenly, the edges rounded (which made them stick out from the actual Perler brand beads), and the finished piece's durability was compromised by the cheap bead (which broke easily). Pictured below: Knock off brand is black.

    The knocks offs did NOT melt smoothly. 

    Different size holes and rounded edges in knock offs

    Different size holes and rounded edges in knock offs (in black) compared to Perler Beads

    These ones ended up uneven, and with holes that weren't supposed to be there! 

    These ones ended up uneven, and with holes that weren't supposed to be there! 


    Symmetry...
    I've contacted the seller, saying I needed either a refund or factory sealed Perler Brand beads. We'll see what they say. 

    While I wait, I decided to do a bit more research. I found out I'm not the first customer to complain about this issue. 


    I've worked with Amazon before when there have been seller issues and they've been wonderful. Last time, the power cord I ordered tried to set fire to my house. It was a month or so past the return date, so the seller wasn't liable any more, but when I told Amazon's customer service about it, they immediately issued a full refund. I'm going to report this seller's dishonest practice to them and see what happens. 

    Please be careful when you buy your beads! Always buy from a reputable seller. This is why I stick with Amazon. Even when things look great, something can go wrong. I trust Amazon to fix this. I'll let you know what happens.





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      My Battle for Better Health: Sleep!

      Dobby, "Don't move. Just let me sleep."

      The past week or so has been a crazy mix of days where I am driven (and a few things actually got done - despite the kids being home for the summer) and days when I am feel perpetually sleep deprived.

      It started with me realizing that not only did I want to accomplish some things on my to do list, but they actually felt possible. It wasn't my old manic, OCD, run myself into the ground activity, but I was able to work for a bit, then rest, then work again, etc. (which is a habit I'm trying to develop). This went on for three or so glorious days!

      My appetite changed as well. Instead of wanting to overeat, I started having an aversion to anything but very specific foods. It was almost as bad as pregnancy cravings. Sometimes I start to eat something that seems fine (like the delicious chicken and rice casserole that is my husband's specialty), and after a few bites, I just can't do it. It doesn't taste bad, but my stomach can't take it. Then, of course, there are times, in between, where I'm absolutely starving and can't eat enough, but it still has to be something my stomach can tolerate. Protein seems to help, but not always.

      After the energy boost came the crash, and it hit me hard. I've been very lethargic for a while now. I've tried a mix of being active and resting, just taking the day off to relax and have fun, and even sleeping most of the day. Nothing seems to change for the better. I had a meeting the other day and was gone for a few hours. That almost laid my flat for two days, but at least I got to go out and socialize! I really needed that.

      Today, I'm a walking zombie, really trying to listen to what my kids are so energetically trying to share with me, but end up patting them on the head saying, "That's nice, honey." Concentration and focus are a joke.

      I feel completely useless. I just want to sleep. If I can't run and play with my kids, at least we can snuggle. :) And the at least the cat is happy to have his "pillow/footstool" handy.

      Oh, and the car died on the way back from my meeting, so we're without a vehicle now.

      Ok, that sounds really bad. I'm not that depressed. I'm frustrated but it could be a lot worse.


      My goals

      I want to have energy to spend time and actually do activities with my family.
      I want to be able to be physically active. I’m not saying I plan on running marathons, but being able to exercise and do basic housecleaning on a daily basis would be nice.
      I want my mind to feel less foggy all the time so I can do my job well and enjoy being in the profession I love.
      I want to be healthy and be at a healthy weight.
      I want my life back!

      Read more about My Battle for Better Health here.

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        Cover Reveal for The Watchers: Flood and Fire


        If you loved the covers for Knight of Light and Hidden Fire, you're going to LOVE the cover for Flood and Fire!


        The Watchers: Flood and Fire
        Struggling to control her new abilities, Auriella must recover a lost Neviahan who is essential to winning the war against the Shadow Legion. 
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          Free Doctor Who Book!



          Get Doctor Who: 200 Facts on the Characters and Making of the BBC TV Series for free on Amazon! Get it quickly because this probably won't last long. ***Update: No longer free. Hope you got one!

          Win $35 from The Kawaii OD

          Win $35 to spend at The Kawaii OD!

          About The Kawaii OD

          Hi, my name is Amber I am pretty much a gamer and anime fan. I could never afford any of the cool stuff in the specialty stores when I was growing up, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. Even as I get older I still get inspired by the games and anime I love.

           Final Fantasy vii was my first VIDEO GAME OBSESSION 
          Sailor moon was my first LOVE
          League of Legends has been with me since 2009! 

          Visit The Kawaii OD on etsy, Facebook, Tumblr, DeviantArt, and Twitter.


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          Winner of The Watchers $25 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!


          Congratulations to Judy Cox, winner of a $25 Amazon Gift Card from The Watchers by Deirdra Eden!




          Finding your own unique strength and courage is a major theme of The Watchers. The characters in this series are as diverse as they come: different nationalities, male, female, dwarf, human, dragon, pixie, noble, peasant orphan, young, aged. Yet, no matter the situation, whether tragic or triumphant, they find ways to grow and develop into something stronger. 

          The main character, Auriella (Aura), is born and lives in a society and time when girls, especially of her social status, didn't have opportunities for education or growth, let alone a chance to be a hero. The Watchers must learn to work together, despite differences, to defeat Erebus and the Shadow Legion, just as we, no matter our gender, race, age, circumstances, etc., are capable of great things. 

          Strong men and women grow in all situations and become heroes when one is needed. They don't think about it, they just do what's right. 
          -Deirdra Eden, author of The Watchers Series

          Book Summary
          Auriella’s new life as a royal protector is in shambles. The new king ignores her warnings of a Shadow Legion invasion and he is determined to marry her off. Ghosts from her past, the discovery of other Watchers, and a handsome Scottish warrior throw her off guard and weaken her emotional defenses. Caught in a web of secrecy and betrayal, Auriella struggles to control and protect the devastating power of Starfire. A terrible truth and a fateful choice will lead her to her destiny as the fabled Lady of Neviah, or could shroud the entire world in eternal darkness. 

          Filled with action, romance, drama, and comedy, Hidden Fire is an addicting read that you won't want to put down. 

          “Deirdra Eden has surpassed her earlier achievement in this daring tale of struggle between good and evil forces that exist in every universe.” Mark F. Cheney, author of MARK OF THE JAGUAR 

          “Thought provoking and full of action, I didn’t want to put the book down! I really loved the symbolism and it was a fantastic read.” Mary G. – age 15



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          My Battle for Better Health: The Aftermath


          I took the kids swimming at the Provo Rec Center yesterday. They had so much fun, which was important to me because we haven't gotten to do much so far this summer. 

          The Rec Center is amazing, but the air was so humid and the heated pools were too warm for me to cool off much. So, even though I didn't swim much (literally 2 walking laps with the current in the small lazy river and sitting around in the water for a bit), I left with my knees hurting (from my previous injury, see my last blog post) and feeling like I'd been swimming laps. Heat and humidity always make me super sick like this (so exhausted that I'm almost falling asleep sitting up), but I was hoping it wouldn't be so bad because of the water.

          Today, I'm really feeling the effects of it. I woke up hurting literally from head to toe. If you've ever felt feverish and had the all-over muscle/joint pain that comes with it, that's a lot like what I'm feeling. Even my eyes hurt. I'm still really tired even though I slept for about ten hours last night. My mood is terrible. The thought of doing anything (even writing this blog post) is exhausting, and I'm having trouble being around people. My poor kids, especially our youngest, want to spend time with me, but I'm only able to focus on them for a minute or two at a time before I need a break.

          But you know what? It was worth it. This is what my life is right now. I have to carefully measure cost vs benefit for everything I do. Before we left for the pool, I knew this was a likely outcome, but my kids really needed this. I'll have to spend a day or two recovering, but my kids are worth it.

          My goals

          I want to have energy to spend time and actually do activities with my family.
          I want to be able to be physically active. I’m not saying I plan on running marathons, but being able to exercise and do basic housecleaning on a daily basis would be nice.
          I want my mind to feel less foggy all the time so I can do my job well and enjoy being in the profession I love.
          I want to be healthy and be at a healthy weight.
          I want my life back!

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