As Seen On Facebook...

With the passing of the great inventor and pitchmaster extraordinaire Ron Popeil this week, I wanted to talk about something my dad and I had in common - our love of As Seen On TV products. We both loved infomercials and Ron Popeil was the king. I grew up with many Ronco products such as the Pocket Fisherman, The Egg Scrambler and the large serrated knives with the orange handles. Mother still uses that knife today. It was so much fun to see the exciting new gadgets which would arrive in the mail. Dad did not just stick to Ronco products, he would order anything that caught his eye such as the glass tube bread baker and the Pasta n' More Microwave Pasta Cooker. We were both noodle nuts but I just could not get on board with microwaving pasta with water in a plastic container.

I just know Dad would have loved the Facebook era of product selling. I look at my news feed like reading a magazine while I eat meals and I have ordered quite a few products that have popped up. I have found beautiful non-toxic, cruelty-free makeup with Thrive Causemetics and Color The World. I just love many of Thrive Causemetics' products but my favorite is the eyeshadow palettes. The colors are lovely and with a primer last all day. I have palettes for summer and winter. Color The World is known for pro age lipstick and it is the best! The colors are amazing, they do not come off on your drink and last a long time. The purchase of each lipstick helps support a different charitable cause. For hair and skincare, I have found more clean products in Cocunat from Spain. They have fantastic curly hair products that do not leave my hair crunchy and the Micellar Water is the best makeup remover I have ever used. Just this week I received the order I placed to try more of their products such as the Natural Protector sunscreen, the Detox Cleansing Foam and the Unbeatable natural deodorant. Their packaging is so cute as well, nice enough to leave out. I use Smarter Skin Collagen (just started my fourth month) because I was just noticing the appearance of crepey skin on my arms and wanted to knock that out. It took a bit but is really working and I have not broken a nail since I started this supplement. I also found Peak BioBoost+ and it has changed my life. I have suffered from chronic digestive issues since I was born and taking this supplement every morning has basically knocked that problem out.

I was looking for comfortable shoes recently and Kuru popped up on my feed. They looked cute so I gave them a try. I am still in my "break-in" period where you are only supposed to wear them 2-3 hours per day for the first two weeks but I can tell they are going to work. It is difficult standing for long periods of time on the garage floor. I tried it for three hours and had no pain afterwards. I am very encouraged! Now more cute shoes from other brands are popping up and some of them are tempting to buy but I am going to hold off a bit.

My all-time favorite Facebook ad product is the Blendjet 2. This is the best thing since sliced bread! I ordered it about a month ago and have only used it to blend powdered supplements with water or with milk for a meal replacement but this little blender can do so much! It is self-cleaning as well with some warm water and a little squirt of dishwashing liquid. So much easier than a big bulky blender or immersion blender as it is portable as well. At the time, the leopard print was out of stock but I decided on white to match my kitchen. It does look sharp in there and I do not mind leaving it out. It comes in so many cool colors and patterns. I think I will order another one to use for savory items such as making salad dressing. The Blendjet 2 is so great at emulsifying the drinks that I am sure it would do a fabulous job on dressing.

I am now waiting for No Crap In It essential oil rollers and inhalers that people are raving about and are supposed to relieve a variety of ailments. I am starting out with oil rollers for Veins because I have broken capillaries on my face as well as Energy for when my energy level takes a dip in the mid-afternoon. For inhalers, Slim Down to try to get from lunch to dinner without a snack and Hormone Help for these ongoing hot flashes. I want to combat brown spots before they get bad so I am trying the Lighten Up cream. It has been difficult finding a non-toxic body wash (I prefer a liquid wash to bar soap) and No Crap In It has them so I am trying their Mermaid Oil body wash. The oil rollers are $20 and the inhalers are $15 and they are supposed to last a year so it would be awesome if they work. If they do, I will try a few more such as the one for ringing in the ears and allergy relief. 

I know many are skeptical about ordering products online but I say take a leap of faith. Only once was the product a scam and it was early on in my Facebook days. I should have known there was no such product as a big cabinet you could hang multiple garments in and have them dried and pressed in one step for $139.99. They sent me a tiny envelope with a piece of random plastic in it. I was able to get just about all of my money back by immediately filing a complaint with my credit card company. I am all about making life easier and better and these as seen on Facebook products have fit the bill. Dad would be so proud.

This past Sunday evening I posted the above lot. My inventory is getting lower so this lot does not look as curated as usual but they are all great items. All of the small sterling bead necklaces, the Fred Harvey jewelry, all of the tiny earrings, the cross with heart pendant and the amazing Zuni needlepoint cuff have all sold. The remaining items such as the fabulous graduated strand of Navajo pearls, the pendant necklace, the watch tips, the cuff bracelet at the left and the antique cufflinks are available for sale. I was so pleased to receive a glowing testimonial from the buyer of the needlepoint cuff. It really does look great on her and I love that she paired it with leopard print which is a neutral.

I knew when I said last week I was going to polish and price a box of jewelry every day it was very ambitious. I thought I would at least have time to do a box or two but alas, it was not meant to be. Family obligations and estate sale work have to come first. On Wednesday I took Mother to Lazy Dog restaurant in Vernon Hills to meet her sister Sally and Sally's husband Gary. They live in Kenosha so it is a pretty good halfway point. We had never tried it before but I thought it sounded good. The restaurant is located in the recently built Mellody Farm shopping center at the northeast corner of Route 60 and Milwaukee Ave. I lived in Vernon Hills for 9 years and they have always been known for shopping but this is next level. This shopping center is very upscale but approachable and looks like it belongs in north Scottsdale.

The restaurant was very busy but we were seated shortly after we all arrived. I chose Lazy Dog because of the diverse and expansive menu so everyone could find something they enjoyed. We all had lunch portion entrees. Mother and Sally had the shrimp tacos and they both loved their dishes. They especially praised the quality of the Mexican rice and the black beans which were on the side. Gary had the fish and chips entree, he did not comment on it but ate it all so he must have liked it. I had the chicken parmesan, the chicken was really good but the noodles were ice cold. I do not like to send things back because it throws off the timing of the meal for everyone else so I just ate it. Mother said to Gary "please order dessert so we can stay longer!" Gary chose the Apple-Huckleberry Open Face Pie. I thought to myself "oh no, I don't care for apple pie!" However this one was great! The apples were sliced thinly instead of in big gooey chunks. There was a bit of huckleberry and the hand-folded crust was amazing. A big scoop of real vanilla ice cream was added on top. It was a very generous serving for $8.95. I would definitely go there again but try a different entree or sandwich. They were also offering TV dinners to take home which I think Kuochun would really enjoy. Overall it was worth the trip and it was nice to see Sally and Gary for the first time after the pandemic.

The plan for this coming week is to really focus on the summer pop-up sale with estate sale paperwork in the late evenings. I am looking forward to getting organized and presenting all of the amazing 2021 Tucson Gem Show finds properly. I have called in the troops Monday so the goal will be to have everything set up by the end of the day Monday and spend the rest of the week adding new jewelry to the mix. There is much to do so see you next time!