Rainy Day

We are experiencing RAIN (and lots of it) instead of that other ugly 4 letter word that starts with "S"! Our driveway is in the beginning stages of a lake. The town never cleared the snow and ice from our storm drain, so the water from the road is adding to our lake. ARGH!!! Now when it turns colder we'll have frozen globs of rain saturated snow...aka ICE! I'm so ready for spring to get here!



I haven't made any cold processed soap today but I've been working on a few glycerin soap projects that I've had up my sleeve. Zero Calories Chocoholic soaps are back... There was a quick inventory of soap I have in stock so I can make a soap making list. Some new fragrances came in this week that I was itching to open and sniff...can't wait to get those made into luxury soap! I also finished weaving in the ends on several wash cloths and made a few more bath puffs. The dreary weather isn't the greatest for inspiration today, so I stuck with simple projects that offered quick results.

Heat Wave ~ Melt Down ~ I'm Famous!

Today has been a catch up day to get things wrapped up before returning to work tomorrow. It warmed up to nearly 50 degrees today and we experienced nuclear meltdown. I made the comment to my neighbor that we were about due for another snow storm now that we can actually see the pavement on our paved road again. LOL With the much desired warmer air, I let the woodstove die out and opened the windows to bring in some fresh air. The cat went a little wild on me by jumping from window to window. He was just as delighted to enjoy the fresh air as I was. There is hope that spring is coming...we just can't see beyond the massive snow "mountains" in our yards yet.

Today I was featured in an article writted by the Valley News. It was based on an interview they conducted while I was at the Healthy Cuisine For Kids training. Very nicely written article. The online version doesn't include the color photos they took at my school last week that were part of the print edition.

Pansy Single Use Soap Petals

These Soap Petals are great single use guest soaps. Decorative, uniquely elegant, fun and yet functional. We have taken a simple silk petal and coated it with scented glycerin soap. There is enough soap on each petal for one single hand washing. When you are finished, the petal is simply thrown in the trash. The fragrance lingers on the petal to freshen the room even after the soap is gone. Indulge yourself, make your guests smile, or put a smile on someone else. You can view and purchase these gorgeous petals in our Etsy Store.

Layered Soap Success!

Fresh out of the mold I consider the layered soap making effect a success!

While the bars are not trimmed yet, they are absolutely gorgeous. I will definitely use this technique again.

Soap Making Day

Today has been a soap making day. They are hot out of the oven and cooling down as I type. The first soap is Fuzzy Navel...gotta love it.




The weather hasn't been the greatest this winter. We've seen an incredible amount of snow. In spite of all the snow, March is here and sugaring season in Vermont typically starts this month. It seemed appropriate to make up another batch of Vermont Maple Sugar Soap.


When I've made Cold Processed soaps, I have made swirls but have never attempted a two layer soap with different colors. I was inspired with Lavender Mint and decided to give it a whirl. Won't know until tomorrow if it worked, because it's still hot in the mold. The bottom layer was tinted lavender when I poured it in the mold. I let it set up for a few minutes before lightly spooning the green layer on top. Keep watching for the updates tomorrow.

Serving Up a Soap Sampler

I've been twitching with this display idea for a while now. Isn't this ribbon plate the most gorgeous plate you have ever seen? By changing the ribbons according to the theme or season one can change the entire look of the plate. How cool is that?

Wanna know where I got the plate from? Well, lets back up a few months, first.

October 2007, while attending the Taste of Home Cooking School, I met Cindy Meyer. Cindy is an Independent Consultant for Taste of Home Entertaining. The quality of the items are outstanding. I have always been a big fan of Taste of Home and I even hold the Premiere Magazine Issue amongst my recipe collections.

The Soap Sampler can be viewed and purchased in my Etsy Store ~ here.

R.I.P. ~ Pepper ~

She had been with us for almost 17 years. This past year has been a long road, as we've dealt with many Senior issues. This winter had been hard on the old gal. So much snow and ice to deal with and an old dog that often needed to be carried back into the house. Some days she wouldn't even go down off the porch when we let her outside, instead using the porch as her potty. About a month ago she began having seizures related to the ever growing number of tumors. We had to keep her closed in a safe room when we weren't home and at night to ensure her safety. On Sunday, 2/24/08 the poor old gal went through a cluster of seizures that she was never able to recover from. I am thankful that this did not happen while I was away during the prior week, and I am even more thankful that the kids were not here to witness this. It was a family decision to care for Pepper to the very end. Shortly after I returned home from work on Thursday, 2/28/08, Pepper took her final breath and passed away peacefully. Due to the multiple FEET of snow this winter, we took her body to the Vet's to be frozen until spring when we will give Pepper a proper burial. This photo was taken on 2/10/08 by one of the kids.