The Army Goes Rolling Along

Who doesn't love to travel, to explore new places, meet new people and see new sights?  While I love my home and am something of a homebody, I really enjoy seeing new sights and meeting new people, even if I'm traveling to somewhere I've been before.

Although she's only 10 years old, the damsel in the tub who represents Sara's Soaps 'n Such is getting ready for her first overseas adventures.  Destination?  Afghanistan.  She graced 68 bottles of lotion and 70 tubes of lip balm as she settled into dozens of shipping boxes to head to so many soldiers serving in the Middle East.

Our dinette table the night before the supply drive

This came about by the hard work and efforts of the Cary High School class of 1991 alumni, coordinated by Patti Clapper.  One of our own, Jonathan, is serving in Afghanistan currently and has alerted us to soldiers who don't receive a lot of packages from back home.  Patti organized the Soldier Supply Drive, and quite a few of us came together to help.  Even Jonathan showed up, surprising his eight-year-old daughter, which one of the local news outlets covered.

Jonathan and me

Here are all the boxes lined up on the table, each one filled with goodies like hygiene items, food and other treats.

A whole lotta boxes!

If you wish to help us with future supply drives, please watch this space, my Facebook page and subscribe to my newsletter to find out when the next one is and how you can help.

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Tahiti Kiss Face Cream

This past Winter, I started playing around with a new face cream.  Now, I'm not really thinking of launching off into facial care specifically (creams, masques, makeup, facial scrubs, etc.); there are some very talented cosmetic manufacturers who are doing that already.  Thing is, I was running low on the pretty great face cream I'd gotten in my goodie bag at the Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild Conference a couple of years ago and wanted to try to make something similar.  With the awesome help of Tina at Majestic Mountain Sage, I formulated a face cream that made my Winter-dry skin feel totally blissed.  In fact, it felt so great on my skin and made my face feel so incredible that I realized that there was no way I could keep this all to myself.

My first step, though, was having other women test it.  After all, I might think it's the greatest cream ever, but that doesn't mean other people will.  Here is some of the feedback I got:

"I like the cream. No breakouts, sort of bronzes my skin... Like I'm at the beach. I dig it." (April)

"I love how light it is!  It feels so good under my makeup." (Donna)

"I love this stuff. I barely touch my finger to it, and its enough to do my whole face. I am so impressed how soft and moisturized it made my skin. I am in my early 50's and have face skin as soft as a babies butt now....  love the way it makes my face feel..... and my grandchildren telling me I am kissable soft." (Patti)

"When will this be available for purchase?  I love it!" (Amy)

Now, after the months-long testing process, Tahiti Kiss is available for purchase.  It's my pleasure to share this fabulous treat with you.  In the four months I've been using it, I've noticed my skin is less prone to breakouts, a few people have told me I look younger than I am (I've even been carded buying wine!) and  my face is slower to suffer the effects of sun exposure when I'm wearing it.  Be sure to pick up your jar of this amazing face cream today, while supplies last.

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*Fanfare and Fireworks*

It is with much fanfare, great excitement and not just a little pride that I get to make this stupendous announcement....

SARA'S SOAPS 'N SUCH IS TEN YEARS OLD!!!

Isn't she so sophisticated and sexy!?

It has been an awesome ten years marked with growth for my business and me, as well as some memorable moments, great laughs, frustrations and some amazing friends who've been walking beside me for several of those years.

One memorable moment...  It was 2002, and I'd been in business about 18 months or so.  I'd done one huge show and was doing my first ever EPA Show.  With about two hours to go in the event, Mom (who was helping me sell) starts hawking percentage off discounts - without consulting me.  I asked, "What are you doing?" 

Her reply was, "Since you've been at this for over a year now and are still in the red, I figured it's time to liquidate and cut your losses."  I explained to her how long it takes small businesses to get out of the red, and she accepted that.  Now, it's ten years later and my business is squarely in the black.  She remains one of my biggest advocates and supporters, and I still do the EPA Show each Fall.

So, how are we celebrating this milestone?  

1. All purchases during the month of June get 10% off their total.
2. Enjoy free domestic shipping throughout June.
3. All customers who make purchases will be automatically qualified to win a Sara-dipity Gift Set with a bar of spa soap, a 4-ounce bottle of lotion, a jar of scrub and a lip balm (retail value - $25.50).
4. A special feature product each week that has its own special discount.  Keep your eyes peeled to Facebook or Twitter each Monday to find out what that week's feature product will be.
5. A brand new business logo - she's grown up and is looking hot!
6. A new, improved website, launching next week.

Thank you to all my customers, Twitter followers, Facebook fans and friends who've supported my business with encouragement, guidance, rim shots as needed, shares and retweets.  These past ten years would not have happened were it not for each of you.  Many blessings as we grow toward another ten years!

Balms Away!

The Cary Senior High School class of 1991 is pretty amazing.  When I walked on 9 June 1991 and flipped my tassel over, I was honestly glad to be done with high school, done with my classmates and ready to move on to college and the next chapter of my life.  However, our 20th class reunion and that modern marvel known as Facebook brought a lot of us back together beginning last Summer.  And, with the passage of time which has affected all of us - even bringing most of us to a new maturity - we've been able to reconnect in pretty neat ways.

One of our fellow alumni is a soldier currently serving in Kuwait with personnel under him serving in Afghanistan.  He identified a need back in the Winter - some of his soldiers were feeling lonely and weren't getting many packages from home.  So, our class stepped in, sending some necessary and just some plain enjoyable supplies.

There's some talk going around our class's Facebook page about getting together again to pack yet more boxes to send overseas.  I'm hoping I get to drive back "home" to help pack the boxes this Summer.  Either way, I have been stocking up on granola bars, popcorn and stuff like that to put in the boxes, and I decided to send some lip balms, too.  Check these out for our well-deserving, brave men and women serving in the Armed  Forces - you know, those folks who are fighting for those freedoms we all enjoy.

Balms Away! lip balms in patriotic colors

Would you be interested in joining us in supporting our troops?  Comment below, and I'll happily give you  some suggestions and ideas.

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Theme Songs

The shipped cha-cha dancing motion file assigned to the Baby model data (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You might remember watching the show Ally McBeal, and if you know the show at all, there was an episode in which Ally starts seeing a psychiatrist (played by Tracy Ullman) in an effort to get rid of her dancing baby hallucinations.  In the course of the first session, the psychiatrist asks her, "Theme song?"  Ally has no clue to what she's referring and shows her confusion.  The psychiatrist explains that your personal theme song is a song that boosts your spirits, gives you that "oomph" to get through a situation.

Following that episode, I decided that I needed a theme song.  Mine's "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison.



This is the song that gets me going, energizes me and puts a kick in my step.
It stands to reason that my older daughter would end up having her own theme song (also adopted by my younger daughter).  I couldn't think of a better song in all the world for my little CEO Kid than this one.  It's "Firework" by Katy Perry, and I love it.



What's your theme song?  Which song motivates you, energizes you and keeps you moving toward your goals?

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