Beautiful heart soaps

Check out these Victorian heart soaps. I highly suggest them to you because they are good quality soap with an elegant design. I have black, white and red for sale. They are very pretty and have a dusting of mica, perfect for Valentine's Day.

The red one is a limited edition and so is the white one, too! The design I will only do for Valentine's Day. The black one is a new variation on an old design. The other soaps will be available year round.

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Summer's End

It hardly seems believable that Summer vacation is drawing to a close.  We're doing a year-around schedule for homeschool this year, so we've already been back to school for a month.  Yet, my Facebook news feed is buzzing with tears and joy from parents whose children are going back to school this week or starting school this week.  Those moms I met in our kindergarten year are wondering how they suddenly have third graders.  I'm right there with them, remembering the excitement my daughter felt about her first day of school and then wiping tears with the moms of her classmates in the parking lot.

I have friends whose children are going back to school and who are delighted.  It's been a long summer, especially here in Pender County, with forest fires polluting the air to the degree that it's been unpleasant being out for long.  We endured weeks of 100+ degree temps and are chillin' with temps around 90 (cold front!).  Our neighbors have dismantled their pool and put it by the curb for trash pick-up, we battled the traffic around UNCW during freshman move-in weekend and amongst my colleagues - fellow soapmakers - the soap pots are brewing up warmer soap fragrances, those that are more autumnal.  Yes, Summer is well and truly coming to a close.

Image by Sara's Soaps via FlickrA part of me is sad to see it come to a close, yet we'll be enjoying weeks more of summer temperatures.  After all, Summer doesn't officially end for almost another month, and with homeschooling, we have the freedom to hit the beach pretty much whenever we wish.  My own soap pot will soon be producing Christmas spice soap, in conjunction with festive Autumn and Winter lotions and lip balms.

If you want to carry a bit of Summer with you, why not grab a Sun On The Go set to take your mind back to that tropical paradise where you vacationed?  You could also pucker up with a delicious fruity lip balm in some awesome flavors!  To celebrate being back at school, pick up some Literary Lip Balms in such fun flavors as The Grape Gatsby, This Side of Paradise and Lip Balm on the Orient Express  Finally, for the parent who's dealt with Summer restlessness followed by Summer boredom followed by more restlessness, treat yourself to a mini-spa at home.  After all, you now have 6-7 hours a day all to yourself, and my Mediterranean Spa Collection is a great way to pamper your body and your senses.

Do you have children going back to school?  What's different for you in your home now?


Don't forget, Free Shipping Friday is happening in TWO DAYS!

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Crystal Coast Christmas Flotilla - Pt. 3

Party No More

Having missed last year's Flotilla, we missed the encore of the previous year's party, missed seeing the people and just missed the whole experience that IS our Flotilla weekend.  Apparently, a lot had changed in two years.  With two little ones, one of which would be ready to go to bed soon after the Flotilla ended, my husband and I decided we'd tag team the party so we'd each get a chance to go.  Since our baby settles easier without her sister in the room, Peter suggested I take our older daughter to the party, socialize a bit, come back and he'd go.  It was a good plan and so she and I set off for the lounge, eager to see our new friends again.

That didn't last very long.  The Wilmington crew had undergone some pretty interesting changes.  There were a few familiar faces and welcoming smiles, but the tenor of the group had changed significantly.  The old group was warm and friendly, and they drank some, but mainly because it was there.  This new group drank to get drunk (not our thing) and engaged in some behaviors that we're just not into.  Whereas the old group engaged our daughter in conversation and made her feel welcomed, this group kept saying, "I can't say what I WANT to say" with a pointed look in the direction of my little girl.  She heard and felt the exclusion; she took her plate to a quiet place to eat, then told me that she was ready to go back to our room.  I'd had enough, so we headed back and my husband went to the party.

It got interesting at that point, and it was while he was there that we discovered the lifestyle preferences of this new group of people.  He had gotten his plate and two ladies - cougars both - approached him to invite him to join them in their room.  I don't think I need to go into greater detail than that.  He decided at that point he needed to come back to our room.

We've decided not to even try to party with this group again.  It would've been nice to have the opportunity to enjoy a Christmas flotilla celebration with these folks, but we much prefer the old group.  That was a very baby tradition, so it's not one we're going to miss.  It also won't take away our enjoyment of a great parade of boats or the lovely Inlet Inn.

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Crystal Coast Christmas Flotilla Weekend - Pt. 2

Image by katiescrapbooklady via FlickrNostalgic Memories

As our weekend began, it dawned on me that the Inlet Inn, which we just started patronizing in 2006, has fit so seamlessly into our tradition.  I do miss the beach house - lots of space, outside shower, beach right outside the door (and over the dunes), the option to cook meals as we wish - but the Inn is very nice and a relaxing escape for us.

My memories took me to the "notable" experiences of our Flotillas.  In 2006, I was sporting a seriously cute pedicure a la my husband to go with the orthopaedic sandal I had to wear as my broken foot continued to heal.  That made navigating through Beaufort a bit of a challenge, but it wasn't bad.

Two thousand seven was pretty bittersweet.  We were glad to be there, but I'd just found out the week before that I'd miscarried the baby we had conceived, and I was waiting to see if my body would get rid of it naturally; if not, my D&C was scheduled for the Monday right after the Flotilla.  It was hard sharing in my daughter's excitement, knowing the sibling she wanted was resting dead within me.  That year, though, we discovered a model train exhibit, and my oldest daughter simply loves model trains, having gotten one the year before for Christmas from Santa Claus.

In 2007, we ended up with a room on the third floor.  The Inlet Inn has three floors - the first two have balconies, the third has window seats.  We spent a lot of time sitting in the window seat as a family, sipping decaf coffee flavored with Hershey's candy cane kisses, and it was that year that something new started that still continues to this day.  Our daughter said, as the three of us sat in the window seat, "I want Kisses."  So, we gave her kisses - lots of them, but not the chocolate variety.  Every time after that, when she said, "kisses," we'd give her kisses.  Since a window seat and a smallish window is no way to enjoy the Flotilla, we went up to the Widow's Walk Lounge to watch the Flotilla.  Imagine our surprise to discover a whole bunch of people up there!  They were sweet folks from Wilmington, and they invited us to join them for their Christmas party - simply pot luck dinner.  We declined because we were still very full from dinner and we didn't have anything to share.  (I'm a born-and-bred Southern lady; you don't go empty-handed to a pot-luck meal.)

We made our reservations for 2008 very early and scored a room on the first floor.  The view was good, the balcony was nice and the bittersweetness of the year before was replaced with hope, anticipation and a reason for me to decline the offer of wine or beer at the party.  I remember asking one lady if there were any non-alcoholic drinks available, accompanied with a small rub on my belly.  We went to see the model trains, walked the wonderful downtown area, our daughter talked to Santa and we watched the Flotilla from our balcony, eating homemade macaroons and Toll House cookies as we watched the parade, ending our day with our new acquaintances from Wilmington.

We missed last year's Flotilla weekend.  It broke my heart having to cancel our reservations, but a new house and a new baby left us strapped for extra spending money.  I made a point, though, of going ahead and booking our reservations for this year's Flotilla, determined we'd go.  Missing it had left us maudlin with an empty spot in our traditional Advent memories.

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Crystal Coast Christmas Flotilla Weekend - Pt. 1

The Tradition Begins

This article begins a multi-part series on our trip to Beaufort, NC to see the Crystal Coast Christmas Flotilla.  This is an annual tradition for our family, and this year in particular brought back a wave of memories and quite a bit of nostalgia.

Beaufort (pronounced bo' - fort -- long "o") is a charming port town along the North Carolina coast, pretty much the farthest point north in that section known as the Crystal Coast.  There's a rather large historic district containing numerous old homes, some private residences, some bed and breakfasts; and the historic district culminates at Front Street, which runs parallel to the Intercoastal Waterway and features numerous shops, antique stores and restaurants.  Along Front Street is the Inlet Inn, our choice of accomodations for the weekend, with its balconies overlooking the water and prime viewing space for watching the Flotilla.

As we arrived for our weekend away, I remembered the beginning of what would become this Christmas tradition.  The year was 1996, and my now-husband and I had just started dating not even two months before.  I told him I needed a topper for the 4-foot tall tree in my apartment, and he started telling me about this shop at Atlantic Beach that has a whole room of tree toppers.  I looked at him and said, "Christmas By The Sea?"  He was surprised I knew the shop, and we discovered that our families had been vacationing on the same island for pretty much our entire lives.  We got up early on Saturday and struck out, excited about our day trip.  While we were there, we discovered to our surprise that the Flotilla was going on that night, so we hung around, browsed the shops in Morehead City and Beaufort, and watched the Flotilla in both towns, hauling it the three miles from Morehead to Beaufort, arriving just in time to find a parking spot and stake out our spaces along the boardwalk where we could see the boats.

The next several years, we stayed at his parents' beach house at Emerald Isle, always making the trek between Beaufort and Morehead to catch both Flotillas, enjoying the shops, sometimes picnicking as the weather permitted, and I enjoyed some of my most deeply spiritual moments and meaningful encounters with God while standing on the end of my in-laws' dock overlooking the beach late at night.  Yeah, I still miss those moments of simply God, the ocean, and me.

In 2005, my in-laws sold their beach house.  I was unemployed for most of the year, and by the time I'd gotten a job, we figured it was too late to try to get reservations, so we missed that year.  The following year, I made reservations at the Inlet Inn, excited because, while I loved the beach house, I'd also rather envied those who would sit on their balconies sipping wine while watching the Flotilla from the floors of the bed and breakfast.  We've been pleased with our stay here year after year and already have reservations for next year.

Stay tuned for more posts about our weekend and my reflections on it.  I've also got a video of the Flotilla itself.

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How Well Do You Know Your Christmas Songs?

I'd like to announce a fantastic new game for the month of November!  This game will be taking place at my Facebook page and will be my own version of "Name That Tune."  Here's how we'll play...

Every week in November up until Thanksgiving, I'm going to post a snippet from a Christmas song on my Facebook page.  It'll start easy - 5 notes - then gradually get harder.  I'll choose Christmas music of all kinds - traditional, contemporary, carols and secular, but I won't use obscure songs.  Your challenge is to name that tune!  The winner each week will receive a coupon good for $10.00 off an order at Sara's Soaps 'n Such.  You can only win one time, but don't let that keep you from playing.  There's only one little catch:  You must "like" my Facebook page.  But really, how hard is that?  (And I promise, it's not all "buy my products"; there's actually very little of that.)

So, cruise on over to Facebook and get ready for some fun and the opportunity to WIN!  Contest starts Tuesday with the first snippet.

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It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Well, Christmas is very nearly here. The trees are trimmed, the stockings are hung and the presents are wrapped... sort of. This is the day when those in my household are scurrying through the house, furtively clutching bags to our chests, hoping others don't see them. There are the hollers, "Honey, where are you?" "Up here." "OK, stay there." Bags and receipts are quickly stashed under furniture (thank goodness for skirts on chairs!), to be put in a better place at the first good opportunity.

Hot spiced cider is meditating in the slow cooker on the kitchen counter. Fresh-baked cookies are waiting to be set out on a plate for Santa. Christmas music plays on the radio, leading to impromptu singing and dancing as we enjoy the day. Later, my daughter and I will be baking coconut cakes for tomorrow, and I'm sure my husband will take maximum advantage of our distraction.

Then, tonight, things will slow down considerably. After dinner, we'll head out to the local Moravian church for their Christmas Eve Lovefeast service, something I've wanted to experience for several years. We'll enjoy koinonia (Christian fellowship), agape (Christian love) and that sense of being kindred, as we enjoy music and the opportunity just to stop... and reflect and meditate on the true meaning of Christmas. Afterwards, the Princess will be asleep, and Hubby and I will put in "It's a Wonderful Life" (his favorite holiday movie) as we assemble Santa gifts.

Then we will go to bed, warm, comfortable, snuggled in each other's arms, trying to grab as much sleep as possible before we hear "Mommy, did Santa come last night?" And in the warm, quiet night as we drift off, I'll remember a night - just as cold, if not colder - more than 2,000 years ago, when a young new mother had only a feeding trough in which to lay her newborn son, and there was no escaping the drafts of cold wind creeping through the stable. There was little sleep to be had that night, as animals lowed and stirred and shepherds came calling, telling her and her husband what they knew: "Unto you is born this day, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."

Merry Christmas, everyone! Peace on Earth, and goodwill to all people.

Nurturing the Creative Urge

There's just something about this time of year that makes me want to be creative - way beyond the usual soaps and body products. It's at this time of year that I want to sew stuff (even though I don't sew), or knit scraves (don't knit), or create these great Christmas centerpieces that'd make Martha Stewart weep with envy. I indulged my creative side yesterday, taking a little break from the frenetic soapmaking and lotion making of the past month. I made salt dough ornaments with cinnamon in them. They were surprisingly easy to make, and I made them in shapes that are going to be fun to decorate - snowman, teddy bear, tree, mitten, heart, and, of course, Gingerbread Boy and Girl. While they cooked, our entire townhouse had this amazing cinnamon, "Home for the Holidays" scent to it.

In the interest of getting something accomplished - and I do still have a business to run - I made some Smelly Jellies (new goodie I'm adding to my product line) while my ornaments were cooking. For these, I chose such delicious holiday scents as Orange Pomander, Cinnamon & Clove and Frasier Fir. Can you just imagine it? Picture if you'd walked into my house, with the scents of cinnamon, clove, orange and fir greeting you as you opened the door. You'd have expected to see a tree in the corner and spiced cider simmering on the stove. I'm glad I did these, because the cinnamon was such a comforting scent that it helped me relax for a bit and experience a bit of calm in the midst of the "Silly Season" chaos.

I'll post pictures of the ornaments when they're painted. Some of these we'll give away, and perhaps I'll sell a few. Who knows? They're going to be fabulous on a tree, because when the heat from the lights hits them, it'll release the cinnamon smell. I might have to hang one in my car. What better way to stay calm during traffic?

New Goodies for the Holidays

Wow! It's hard to believe that Halloween is just a week away! It seems like just last week it was warm and toasty enough here in central North Carolina to get by wearing shorts and t-shirts. Oh, wait. It was last week when it was that warm. Now Autumn is well and truly upon us with beautifully changing leaves, cool days and brisk breezes that cause the leaves to crackle against each other.

When Halloween's past, then I get to roll out all the delightful and fun Christmas soaps I've been working on and likely will continue working on until the very last minute. These here are one such delight. I created a custom fragrance that I call Christmas By The Sea, a scent reminescent of our annual trips to the coast for the Crystal Coast Christmas Flotilla. I borrowed the name from this shop that used to be on the island where we always vacation.

Christmas By The Sea (the shop) was a charming Christmas store with everything you could want for Christmas - villages, trees, wreathes, ornaments, garlands and gifts. Twelve years ago, my then-boyfriend took me down there (thinking he'd surprise me and not realizing I knew this shop well) to find an angel for the Christmas tree I had in my apartment. When we arrived, we discovered that the Flotilla was going on that evening, so we stuck around for it before driving back home.

Since then, the shop (unfortunately) has closed, but the Flotilla continues. That first Flotilla became the start of an Advent tradition for us. The then-boyfriend is now my husband of almost 9 1/2 years, and the joy of watching the Flotilla continues and is something we share as a family. Oh, and in case you're wondering, the angel I bought then still graces our tree, year after year.

That's a lot to go into an unassuming bar of soap, isn't it? Happiness, memories, the tang of fresh cut greenery as it meets the scent of home and sea. It's all here in Christmas By The Sea. Look for it in a few weeks, but it will be ready in plenty of time for the holidays, and even in time for pre-Christmas giving.