All Over But the Shouting

We had a lovely, quiet Christmas. Just the way I like it. I did get some wonderful gifts from my DH, including two of those ceramic-coated cast iron Dutch Ovens, bright orange, in the 3.5 and 5.5 quart sizes. Plus a set of Cuisinart pots and pans with the clear glass lids. Everything is so shiny and beautiful and professional looking. My DH went crazy in Sam's Club when he saw all those things I'd been drooling over while watching my cooking shows.

I've already started using my new toys to cook with! Before I started watching the Food Network I used to muddle along with the cheap, ancient pots and pans I've had since my 20's, and various hand-me-downs. It really is a pleasure to cook with beautiful, effective tools, just the right one for whatever you're making. I'm a happy woman. Not quite the Barefoot Contessa or Giada yet, but I'm getting there...

So now we're down to our last week with Vicky at home. The time has gone by so quickly, for us and for her. It's going to be hard on everyone when she has to pack all her stuff up again and go back to Tampa. Fortunately she can drive home every other weekend or so in a couple of hours.

I'm totally burned out on packaging and shipping orders. Even on a relatively modest scale, things were very hectic. I'm out of almost all my soaps, or nearly out of them. In a few days or a week or so, I'll have to start replenishing my stock and trying a few new fragrances, including Winter Solstice and Hunter's Moon.

The pressure of getting orders out reminded me once again about how important it is, when you run a small business, to know what you want from it. It is easy to feel compelled to take on a big wholesale order or something like that, especially if the person flatters you about how nice your soaps are, etc. Also easy to feel the pressure to make more money.

Early on, I decided I didn't want to do wholesale. I know it's a great option for many soapmakers, but it's not what I want. For example, someone who buys my stuff keeps urging me to "get it into stores." It is incomprehensible for them to understand that I don't want to work that hard, and success isn't always measured in making more and more money.

I'm retired and at that age when killing myself to make a little extra dough isn't that appealing. I like having the freedom to blow it all off and take a walk on the beach, or take a nap or just forget about it all for a few days. I need more time than the average person to just sit and stare into space, I always have needed that. I like keeping the "small" in my small business.

Almost Christmas Eve

I've been terrible about keeping up with this blog. To the few who still come by regularly, my apologies. Things have just gotten away from me. I have been so busy making and selling soap, Geoff is in the process of applying to colleges, and Vicky is home from USF for the break. It's been very busy, hectic, fun and stressful, all at once.

We decided on a relatively lean Christmas this year, nothing too extravagant. One big present for each kid and the rest is little stuff. Many people in our family are hurting, financially and with illness. While there's always much to be grateful for, there is also a lot to worry about too.

The other night I put up our fake Christmas tree. I've resisted liking it, even though it's very pretty, for two years now. But I'm finally to the point where I can't justify spending $80 on a real tree, only to throw it away a few weeks later. Not particularly "green," is it? So I dragged out all the old ornaments I've been collecting for years and put them on the tree, especially the ones the kids have made over the years. The tree is stunning and magical now!

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I'm going to make homemade lasagne and bread, and buy some really good cannolis for dessert. I'd love to make gnocchi, but the kids won't eat it, so I'll save the gnocchi for New Year's Eve, for me and Lowell.

I hope you all have a lovely Christmas with your family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope all my friends in the US who celebrate Thanksgiving are having a wonderful and relaxing day with their loved ones and plenty of good food. I felt blessed today because our small family was joined by DH's middle daughter and her little girl, my son's GF and my daughter's BF. I love to cook, especially for an appreciative audience.

I worked like a madwoman for hours this morning and turned everything out, hot and delicious and ready all at the same time! We had turkey, the most amazing stuffing with apples, sausage and dried cranberries, homemade cranberry orange sauce, my sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and, of course, a beautiful 12 lb. turkey. Not two mention two pumpkin pies. Now we're all stuffed and sleepy. Stop me before I eat again.

I belong to the (Earthpath Artistans Street Team) and want to let everyone know that EAST's 2nd Annual Winter Wonderland Event is happening now. Running from Nov. 28th through Dec. 15th, EAST members are celebrating the season with special sales promotions and crafting unique new items! Search Etsy using the WWEE tag to find participating items.

Now it's going to be exciting to see what happens to sales on Etsy and my domain shop on Black Friday. I'm considering offering a lip balm with every sale tomorrow, as long as I can stay awake long enough to make a bunch of them tonight just for that purpose.

1,000 Etsy Sales!

I've finally reached over 1,000 sales on Etsy, yay me! Actually, I'm up to 1,012 now. Thanks to the amazing Kay Ann, Soap Princess Extraordinaire for helping me to achieve this milestone, and to all the other awesome buyers on Etsy!

Vicky was home this weekend and it was so good to have her here. I got up super early this morning to make her a good, hot breakfast. She left at 6:30 and called by 9:00 to say she was already back on campus. It seems so weird that she can be all the way up there in a couple hours. Her evil roommate from hell had not moved out, a real disappointment. But she is finally gone, thank goodness. It is really hard for me to feel charitable toward someone who made my kid's life as miserable as she could. I hope they put her in a room by herself. I wouldn't wish that particular roommate on anyone else's child.

My DH got a new computer yesterday. I spent all day fiddling with it and getting online programs back, restoring files from Carbonite, etc. But the computer refused to recognize the bleeping DVD drive. We fussed with this for hours, doing diagnostics, etc. Finally we gave up and went back to Best Buy and they figured it out. They had to open the case and connect the DVD drive cables, which were inexplicably unfastened.

I gotta get busy and make mountains of soap again. I'm starting to run out of a lot of stuff.

FP of Handmade Fusion

Today my shop made the front page of Handmade Fusion!

I have a new soap in my Etsy shop, Zanzibar Clove -- delicious!

I'm getting pretty stoked about this -- I'm now at 997 sales on Etsy! Only 3 more sales and I'll finally hit 1,000 sales.

Vicky is home for the weekend. It makes me so happy to see her little feet on the couch arm rest, and to see her puttering around back and forth from her room to the laundry room. I just miss her so much. Her Evil Flying Monkey of a roommate is moving out this weekend, cause for celebration for all of us.

A Fellow Neopolitan...

has featured my Lemon Verbena soap in her blog, Gifts Etc. and Skin Candy! I didn't even know so many sellers on Etsy are also from Naples. Thanks Katie!

Today I added Lavender Vanilla handmade soap to my shop. This soap smells so divine, I adore it.

If you like Lavender and Vanilla together too, check out my Lavender Vanilla Gift Set -- one each of handmade soap, Shea and Cocoa Butter Lotion Bar and Lip Balm. Yummy!

Next weekend Vicky is coming home for the weekend. We still miss her so much. It hardly seems possible that her first semester will be over in about a month. And today I helped Geoff to fill out his first couple of college applications online. We're going to have empty nest syndrome really big time next year.

Post Election Calm

Thankfully the election is over. For the first time in 8 years, I'm filled with hope that our country can find its way out of the economic, political and international turmoil it's been in for so long.

I was featured in a cool blog today, Expressions by Devin. Go check it out! Devin was kind enough to feature my Soap Sampler. Over on Etsy, I'm closing in on 1,000 sales. I really love selling on Etsy.