One Bubble at a Time

Six Winners

2010-06-10T03:36:00.001-07:00

I can't make myself choose a winner to the lemongrass & calendula give away. So, I'll giving everyone who commented on the post a bar of soapy goodness. If you live away, leave me your address at twinbirchbath(at)gmail(dot)come. Otherwise, I'll bring it to you! Thanks to all of you for your nice words & for reading One Bubble I hope you love the soap as much as I do.

If you are local, come enjoy some fun shopping Thursday & Friday from 10-4. You'll find great gifts for dads, grads, teachers and anyone else you might want to treat to some bubble luxury. (Like maybe, yourself!!)

Lemongrass & Calendula

2010-06-07T12:12:00.000-07:00

After a few weeks at the store, I have discovered my soapy best seller. My lemongrass & calendula soap is flying out of the shop. I love this soap because it is soothing, refreshing & invigorating. The lemongrass & lemon essential oils are bright and boisterous yet relaxing and comforting. The calendula is soothing and so pretty in the bar. I also love the formula for our cold process soap. The oils I use combine with unrefined african shea butter and offer all that you'd want from a bar of soap. It's moisturizing. It's full of bubbles which make a great lather. It's long lasting & non drying. I love everything about it and I think you might, too.

In the spirit of sharing a good thing, I'll pick someone randomly from the comments section & give away a bar! Leave me a note and I'll let you know who wins on Wednesday. Lots of bubbly love!

This Little Piggy

2010-06-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

My life with Gerry is never boring. We seem to have a routine. He comes up with a new idea, I fret and sputter with some objections. He patiently helps me to see his way. We do whatever it is and I end up thinking it's the greatest idea ever. This happened when he wanted to add softball practice to our schedule. It also happened when he thought we should join Tae Kwon Do. And when he thought we should get chickens

Well, it's happening again. This time it's piggies. Gerry thinks we should raise two pigs and supply ourselves with some homegrown pork. At first I was mortified. I'm no farm girl and I don't want to have a "pet" that we then serve for dinner. At least that was my first reaction. After a visit to the Earthwise Farm & Forest, though, I can see the beauty in offering these pigs a really wonderful life and then appreciating the gift of their meat. I think that's how I feel, anyway. I'll have to keep you all posted on this latest adventure. If nothing else, Gerry knows how to keep it *fresh*!

Go Eagles

2010-05-17T06:27:00.000-07:00

Cora is loving softball! She's got lots of heart and hustle, too! It's so fun to watch her play. She is probably the youngest on the team, and definitely the smallest. That doesn't stop her from playing hard and playing to win! :) Here are some cute pics from the Eagles (Cora's team) vs. Hawks (her dear friends' team)
The boys are doing a great job, too! Those pics are on the way!

Jitters

2010-05-04T05:43:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited about having hours at the store! I'm in a mad dash to fill wholesale orders and get everything ready for opening on Thursday. I can't wait to be in there and enjoying the space. It's sunny and beautiful and just the right atmosphere. I'll get some pictures of the new digs as soon as I can. Wishing you lots of fun on these beautiful Spring Days!

And the Beat Goes On

2010-04-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

As much as I love being on Facebook, I have missed blogging! We've been wicked busy! Here are some pics to catch up. Of course, Max is doing very well and the mountains are still beautiful!

Peter competed in the Vermont Jr. Iron Chef competition
We had another fantastic Easter Brunch at the Langham in Boston
The girls grew and stayed cute and the boys (and my friend Ramsey) all earned their 1st Dan Black Belts in March.

Twin Birch continues to grow. I am opening a store/studio next week which will give people a chance to come in and shop, see soapmaking and even take classes to learn how to make fantastic natural skin care products. I can't wait to share pictures & stories from this new adventure!

Home Again

2009-10-06T10:08:00.001-07:00

Last Thursday and Friday I chaperoned a trip to Groton State Park with half of the third & fourth grade population. Cora is a third grader this year (already!). When Austen's class went, I assured Gerry that if he went with the boys, I'd go with the girls. At the time, they were still small enough to carry on a hip or in a back pack. Peter didn't get to go, poor plum, because his teacher was expecting her second baby and not up to the trip.
No wonder! Chaperoning the whole trip means gearing up for a full day of hiking and outdoor activities and a night in a leanto with 4 other children and 1 other adult. I have to say up front that I had a wonderful time on the trip! Spending quality time with just Cora (#3 of 4) was really sweet and fun. Her friends and classmates are quite a cute group. If you like Cora's hat, check out Sassy Grace Boutique on Etsy. That being said, I think it's worth noting that the overnight temperatures were in the low 30's and the highs on Thursday were in the mid 40's. No rain during the day, but I woke up at least four times in the night and listened to showers hitting the roof of the leanto. Happily, I wasn't lying in a tent praying that the fly would hold up.
On Friday, we left Groton and moved on to Rock of Ages Granite Quarry in Barre. From start to finish, the production of granite is mesmerizing! The men who harvest the stone, prepare it, carve it and etch it are some of the craftiest, most talented people I've ever watched. The whole process is truly amazing.

We arrived back at school at 3 pm on Friday. It was wonderful to get home to Gerry, Ella, Austen, Peter and even Max. Boy, to I love my bed!

Provided that Ella's class also makes the trip, I have 2 years to pack for the next time out to Groton. I hope they go. I wouldn't miss it for anything!

Hello, Pumpkin!

2009-09-30T12:32:00.000-07:00

I've been cranking out soap by the truck loads. The craft~ fair~holiday~party~favor season has me working hard and having a ball. It really is a gift to be able to do what you love.

I find myself sniffing this bar of Perfect Pumpkin almost hourly. The fragrance is Pumpkin Spice from Brambleberry. It's a rich, warming blend of pumpkin, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg. The recipe is simple~ rice bran oil, palm & coconut blended with a bit of organic shea butter. It's colored with turmeric, paprika & a swirl of ground cinnamon. See why I call it perfect?

Pick up a bar or three from Twin Birch on etsy and enjoy these first few days of Autumn in Vermont wherever you are!

Autumn Jewels from Etsy

2009-09-14T04:43:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Patch Earrings by Twilight Jewelry Box

Along with having a love affair with handmade soap, I'm also crazy about handmade jewelry. I love looking at something that was crafted with more patience than I will ever have to become a beautiful piece of wearable art. Here are some lovely selections from Etsy that highlight the tones of autumn. Go check them out! Happy Monday everyone.

Falling Branch Earrings by Ali Bali Jewellry

Autumn Daisies Mosaic Ring by Crooked Moon Mosaics

Acorn & Oak Leaf Fall Harvest Necklace by CuteAbility

Autumn Harvest Stacking Ring Set by Original Hardware

Lots of Summer Fun

2009-08-25T05:31:00.000-07:00

We have had an AMAZING Summer! We have six days until the start of school. I think I'll spend every moment enjoying these days and my sweet family. I am so thankful!

Autumn Bubbles

2009-08-18T07:01:00.000-07:00

I have to admit it. The fragrances of Autumn & the Holidays are some of my favorites. Although I love, love, LOVE summertime, I am crazy about the spicy, warm, comforting scents of Fall & Christmas. I also love playing with animoto. Here's a little piece to help everyone get excited for the the next page in the book of seasons:

Come over to Twin Birch at Etsy to get started on your shopping!

Breathe

2009-08-14T11:16:00.000-07:00

It's amazing to me that summer is almost over. Even though the calendar says we have about 6 weeks left, kids go back to school in 2 weeks. Here in Vermont, the crickets are singing. For me, that's a real reminder that the schedule is about to become busier and the relaxed yet full days of summer are coming to an end. It's at a moment like this that I have to remind myself to breathe.

Many times this summer, I have felt a twinge of guilt because I haven't been the blogger that I aspire to be. I've also been squeezing in soaping instead of making it my daily focus. I'm sure I'm like lots of other moms who put all of the "important" stuff on the shelf to submerge into the joy of being with their kids and soaking up these fleeting days. It's such a balancing act. Again, I need to remember to breathe.

Gerry tested for his Black Belt successfully a couple of weeks ago. He made a great montage of photos from his testing and the rest of the Blue Wave Summer Camp weekend. I smiled when I listened to the song that he put with the pictures. Good to know we're on the same page. Congrats, Mr. Tallman!

Here is a great video done of Summer Camp 2008 by Mr. Emerson & Miss Kline. Summer Camp is such a blast!!

Black Stripe Boys

2009-07-21T11:30:00.000-07:00

Whew! The summer is flying by and I can barely keep up with all of the activity! The latest summer high point came last Friday when the boys tested successfully for their Black Stripe in TKD. Operation Black Stripe was years in the making... 3 1/2 years to be exact! We all traveled over to the Bradford Dojang to participate in their Quarterly Testing. Austen & Peter were great! The Dojang was sooo hot and the testing was vigorous, but they did it!
Here's a shot of the boys 2 years ago with GrandMaster Tae Sung Lee (above) and at their testing. Nice high kicks, boys! I am such a proud mama!!
Gerry also did a mock testing for his Black Belt. He was fierce! His official test will be on July 31st in front of the whole Blue Wave Association! Good Luck, honey!

Time in Monet's Garden

2009-06-10T11:05:00.000-07:00

I love the Impressionists. I especially love Monet and all of the wonderful colors found in his work. Here is my soap inspired by Monet's Garden. It smells divine~sweet, floral & summery. Grab one on Etsy or Artfire!

The Tender Days of June & The Seduction of a Great Salt Bar

2009-06-02T10:09:00.000-07:00

There are only 8 days of school left for us here in Vermont. That blows my mind! How quickly these days fly by and we stand on the edge of summer vacation. I love this time of year because of the weeks of pure summer joy that lie ahead! We are looking forward to time on the Cape, Mountaineers baseball camp, lazy days and busy time. I can't wait for the kids to have a day or two to sleep until they wake up and come downstairs with nowhere to go. Of course, that won't last for long because we have PLANS!

I find myself reflecting a lot during these last weeks of the school year. Last month, I was the mom of a kindergartener, second grader, fifth grader & seventh grader. Next week, I'll be the mom of a first grader, third grader, sixth grader & eight grader. What is a natural progression also reminds me how fast the years fly by. This is the time of year that gives me some of those happy mommy tears. There is so much to look forward to and so much to be proud of. Am I the only one? How do you all feel about the end of school?One thing I know for sure is that I am taking my time in the shower for these next few weeks. After all, the morning hours won't be quite so peaceful for long. My favorite bar of soap right now is a Goji Berry Salt Bar. This is my first batch of salt bars and I love them. The soap is made of coconut oil and grapeseed oil. As the soap came together, I stirred in fine grain Pink Himalayan salt. Goji Berry is bursting with the scent of exotic summer berries. Blackberry, goji berry, gooseberry & logan berry are wrapped in vanilla & sugar musk. I got the Goji Berry from Wholesale Supplies Plus and it's delicious!! You can find the soap on Etsy and now on Artfire, too.

Happy Summer!

Mentor Magic

2009-06-01T04:54:00.000-07:00

I was so surprised and flatterd to be asked to mentor an RUHS Senior last Fall. Emiline is the oldest daughter of my girlfriend, Beth. She came to me in September and asked if I would mentor her through her Senior Project. Her task was to develop a product, market it, write a paper about it and put together and oral and visual presentation. All the while, she was to check in with a panel of community and faculty members. Senior Project success is mandatory for graduation. The seniors at Randolph Union High School are an incredibly talented group! Walking through the display of completed projects last week was so much fun!

Of course, my favorite display was Emiline's! She did such a great job! She had a great product to sell ~ a gift set with all natural body wash, shea lotion & handmade cold~process soap. She opened an Etsy shop to market it and put together an adorable pamphlet. I am so proud to have been her mentor. Way to go, Emiline!!

Austen Plays Lax, Peter Plays Third!

2009-05-12T05:05:00.000-07:00

We are officially a two sport family. Peter is playing really well for his Little League team, the A's. They are the team to beat this year with a record of 5 and 0. As a mom, I appreciate their enthusiasm and great sportsmanship. Their coaches are fantastic and we parents have a raucous time in the bleachers! It's always a great time!

This year Austen is playing Lacrosse for the Randolph Middle School Ghosts~that's him with the #1 on his shirt. He is playing quite a lot since they only have 2 or 3 subs for the team. He plays attack mostly and has had a few "pancake" moments. Of course, I had no idea what that means until he explained to me that being "pancaked" is to be flattened on the field by the opponent. One worse than that is to be "sancaked". Yep, it's being flattened by two opponents in the sandwiched and squished sense. Deep breath. Thank goodness for pads and a great coach!

The challenge is to be at two, three or four places at the same time. We are also still way into TaeKwonDo and the girls have concerts & school functions a lot! Last week, Gerry covered lacrosse & I covered baseball. We updated with text messages and reunited at the ball field since 6 innings takes about twice as long as four quarters. I wonder how our parents managed without all of the great technology?

These are truly awesome, fun days. I'm hanging onto them because I know they will pass in a flash

Hey! We've Been Flocked!

2009-05-11T07:59:00.000-07:00

We've been flocked by an anonymous friend. It's the most clever fund~raising idea I've ever seen. A high school student here in Randolph was accepted to an exchange program to Europe this summer. To raise money, she is moving this cute flock of flamingos around our town. The plan is that you offer $20.00 to have the whole flock delivered to someone's front lawn in the middle of the night. Of course, she offers to take them away for nothing, but how could you possibly grinch all of this fun?? The thing that cracks me up is that our house is WAY off of the road, so the only "peeps" who knew about the flocking, aside from our family, were our ten hens. They were most curious about the visitors... until they found some good grubs to munch. Hmmmmm... who will we flock next?

Happy Birthday, Gerry!!

2009-05-05T08:29:00.001-07:00

Feeling Green

2009-05-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

Cora, Ella & I tested for our next belt in TKD this week. Happily, we all passed. Cora & I are now Green Belts & Ella earned her Green Stripe. The girls did a fantastic job!
In other green news, I find myself falling in love with all of the yummy Spring & Summer fragrances that I have. Lately, I've been using LOTS of Shea & Shimmer Scrub. It's been soooo good for my sunburned skin. (I'll admit that I let the sugar rinse off & then just rub the magic shea all over) I've also rediscovered Summer Green Shower Butter. It's just a wonderful, lush, green fragrance! It's citrus-y & summer-y & yummy! Shower Butter is perfect for your skin. It's a soft, whipped soap that softens while it cleans. I love it. Stop by Twin Birch on Etsy to grab yours.I hope it's as beautiful where you are as it is here! Spring in Vermont is our prize for getting through the final, cold days of winter! Happy Spring!

Let the Breeze Blow!

2009-04-30T09:57:00.001-07:00

Belize was indescribably beautiful! We had a fabulous trip! It was so wonderful to share great time with Gerry's parents. We are all so thankful for this fun adventure! My favorite phrase came from one of the locals... "Let the breeze blow!" You can feel that philosophy in everyone in Belize. It's friendly, interesting and very laid back. I loved it! These pictures are from the day that we visited the Mayan Ruins in the Cayo district. We were at Xunantunich (shu-nan-tu-niche). The highest structure there is called El Castillo . It's 130 feet high. The kids & Gerry did a great job staying up there & looking around. Me? not so much. I went up and I went right back down. That was just plenty for me! The ruins are breath-taking!Next time~ beach photos!
ps. here's a link to the wonderful place that we stayed. It's the perfect spot! Almond Beach Resort, Hopkins, Belize

A Nod to Jimmy Buffet

2009-04-06T18:36:00.000-07:00

In honor of all things sunny and wonderful, I've come up with Margarita Kaleidosoap. It's yummy lime fragrance will carry you to the islands. That's exactly what we're doing for April vacation. We are so excited and lucky to be traveling with Gerry's parents to Belize. What an amazing family experience for us!!

About a year ago, Gerry's parents offered to take us all anywhere we'd like to go (in the world!)
Honestly, I couldn't even imagine a more wonderful idea. After the initial excitement about taking a trip, we realized that the greatest gift of all is that the kids, Gerry & I get to spend an uninterrupted week with two of the most important people in our lives. It fills my heart to imagine the kids spending such magical time with their grandparents. Three generations traveling together and sharing an adventure.

With all that in mind, we decided that taking our Vermont bones to the tropics would be about as close to heaven as we could come. We're really looking forward to soaking in the sun, playing in the sand, relaxing by the pool and enjoying eachother. (we also hope to investigate the Mayan ruins, rainforest, coral reef & pool side bar!) :) Lots of thanks and love to Carter & Sylvia. I have been so blessed to be part of the family for over 20 years and I've loved every minute of it!

Feel free to poke over to etsy for a slice of Margarita. We can't take you with us, but I can send you a slice of heaven!

While Mom's Away, the Kids Will Play

2009-03-23T13:41:00.000-07:00

Here are some cute pictures of the girls playing cub scout dress up while I was away on my Girlie Weekend. I don't even know how they found the uniforms! LOL Thanks to Gerry for being such a fun dad & for taking pics of the chitlins!

They also worked on Austen's Family Tree project for his Living Arts class. I love the spring sun shining in and Max chilling out with all of them.

Girlie Weekend

2009-03-19T06:02:00.000-07:00

Whew!~ time is flying by & life is crazy, busy! It seems like my ginormous soap order is on hold for now. I'm a big believer in things happening for a reason, and I know great things will come from my clients' interest in a bulk order. Not yet, though.

Meanwhile, March has been non~stop busy for us. Each weekend has been filled with tons of activity and the weeks seem to fly by. Last weekend, I had such a blast! I caught up with girlfriends who I went to school with. East Junior High School, to be exact! Six of us with super~sweet spouses were sent off to spend the weekend at my friend Peggy's family lake house in at Lake Sunapee, NH. Five of us went all the way through high school together. Liz moved after Jr. High. sad! Luckily we all live in New England, so this won't be the last partay...

We all arrived with stacks of pictures & year books, tons of food, bottle after bottle of wine & a cake that was like none that I have ever seen before! We laughed, drank, ate & even teared up once or twice. I was reminded again how blessed I am to have the most amazing people in my life!

Don't you love the pic?! We were cracking up because Kim was working so hard to set the timer on the camera... and we'd had a lot of wine! ;) Back row left to right~Kim, Liz, Shari & Maribeth
front row~ me & Peggy. Love you, girls!

And, lucky me, I came home to an adorable flock of kids and the sweetest, most handsome husband in the world! (thanks Gerry!)

Hurts So Good

2009-03-03T05:12:00.000-08:00

We just got back from Blue Wave TaeKwonDo Association's 2009 TaeKwonDo Winter Camp. It was the first year that all of us participated in all of the workshops. It was extra exciting this year for a lot of different reasons. Firstly, Grand Master Lee came over from Korea. He is a 9th Dan (9th Degree Black Belt) and the head instructor of our organization. We all had the opportunity to join in one of his workouts. Here's a brief list of what we did with Grand Master Lee and the other instructors:

Crunches, push ups, planks, lunges, kicks & strikes by the hundreds, poomse practice, paddle drills & sparring.

I can't tell you how blissfully sore I am! It was the hardest, most satisfying workout I've done in a long time!

We also had the chance to watch our instructor, Master Tom Chase, test for his 6th Dan and Miss Buckholts test for her 2nd Dan. In the wings was Gerry. Having just earned his Black Stripe, he is hoping to test for his Black Belt in August. He got to hold boards for the High Dan Testing, including for Master Chase. He was so excited and honored. Watching Master Chase test was really exciting for all of us. He was great!

The boys are right behind Gerry. They are waiting to be invited to test for their Black Stripe. Hopefully, they'll be testing for their Black Belt at Winter Camp 2010. All Black Belt testings take place in front of the whole Blue Wave group, so it's pretty daunting. It didn't look daunting for Master Anthony, though. Check out the board breaking sequence he rocked while testing for 7th Dan! ~

All of the Black Belt testings were so inspiring. They are the perfect demonstration of what we can achieve if we practice discipline, perseverance, strength, determination & courage.
We feel so lucky to have found this sport as a family. It makes us a better, more solid clan. We share fun, goals and muscle aches. Here are some pics for you to enjoy!

ps. in the category of "no news is good news", I haven't heard on the big order, yet. The anticipation is killing me! :)

Ten Thousand Tuesday?

2009-02-23T12:37:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is a big day for me & Twin Birch. I'm meeting with another one of the decision makers involved in the 10,000 bar order. I am ready and excited. Thanks to all of you in the soapmaking world, I feel more than ready to explain why they will be so much better off using my handcrafted soap than *ahem* some others! :) The greatest thing is that, no matter how this particular deal works out, the client loved my soap. I feel like it's a win no matter what. (But, oh yes! I do want that order!! Fingers crossed & updates to follow!

Black Stripe Super Star!

2009-02-20T05:26:00.000-08:00

Gerry tested for his Black Stripe at Tae Kwon Do last night. He tested with Ramsey, who earned her Red Belt! Both of them were amazing! Both Masters Chase said that their testing was impressive and that they were very proud of them!

They weren't the only ones! I was all choked up watching Gerry. It's really inspiring to see how well we all can do something when we practice really hard and put our minds to it! His testing was a great demonstration of determination & discipline. And Ramsey was right there with him! Watching the two of them test makes me want to challenge myself even harder!

PJ also tested last night and earned his Blue Belt. He did a great job, too. He has the loudest kiyup ever!

Congratulations to all of you! Your testing last night proves it~ Randolph Dojang Rocks!

I'm Sorry, Did You Say Ten Thousand?

2009-02-08T04:52:00.000-08:00

WOOT!! I couldn't believe my ears when one of my clients said that he was talking to a colleague about my soap and they want to place a ten thousand piece order! I am channeling my inner Bob the Builder (Can we make it? YES WE CAN!!) None of the specifics are ironed out and I'm super~superstitious, so I'm not counting any chickens yet. But I'm so incredibly excited! I just had to share! :) Cross your fingers for me!!!In other news, Max continues to heal from his neck injury. Every time he lifts his head in a funny way I hold my breath, but so far so good. Really, he's back to his old (crazy puppy) self in so many ways. He chewed through his lead in 57 seconds while we were with the vet for a check up. *SIGH* (smile)

Facebook Flashback

2009-02-02T10:47:00.000-08:00

I'm probably one of the last people to join Facebook. I'm always trying to get off of the computer so I can get some work done, take a nap, live my life... Anyway, I'm on and I think it's hilarious! I've connected with so many friends from school & my hometown. It's so much fun to catch up and see what they are up to! There are pictures from elementary school, Jr. High & High School. This picture has stirred up some discussion. I think it was taken from a fifth grade class trip. Others think it was a sixth grade trip, which I don't think I went on, but others do! Anyway, thanks to my classmate Glenn Harvey for letting me post the pic. I'm the girl in the light blue windbreaker. :)

BTW, when my 12 year old saw the picture he said, "Hey mom, there you are! Look at your cute pixel~ated face! LOL! Pixel wasn't even a word when I was in elementary school!

Playing Blog Tag... Indie Beauty Style

2009-01-23T12:19:00.000-08:00

I was tagged today by Lisa Rodgers of Cactus & Ivy greatness. Lisa's blog is called The Southern Accent. It's so fun to read about what she's up to with her cutie southern accent. (She once gave me permission to use "y'all" in my daily speak, but I'm a yankee and, sadly, it doesn't fly when it comes out of my mouth. *sigh*) Anyway, the challenge came from Donna Maria, the powerhouse behind the Indie Beauty Network & Indie Business Blog. My task, since I choose to accept it, is to list the Top Ten Reasons that I love being an Indie girl.

Here it goes~

1. The sky is my limit. I can dream as large as I want and make it happen. I love thinking about where Twin Birch will be in a year, 5 years, 10... I also love looking back to see how far we've come.

2. I'm always Mom first. My kids can find me (even when I'm trying to hide!) and I can usually drop whatever I'm doing to help them if they need it.

3. I can be creative! I love thinking up new ideas and playing with new products. I love the inspiration I get from everywhere and I love working into my products.

4. I get to work with my family. We all spend time in the bubble lab. My sons are the ones who created the first Ninja soaps and they are a great seller!

5. I've made new friends. I love connecting with the people of IBN. They are so sweet, funny and SMART!

6. Taking my products into a retail shop and seeing how well they are received is a blast! I am always so proud and flattered when people agree to sell my line

7. I can multi task. Sometimes this is my downfall, but usually I'm pretty good at making soap, answering email, doing the laundry, helping with homework and walking the dog. :)

8. I learn EVERYDAY!

9. I usually smell really good! I love all of the amazing oils that I get to work with and all of the great ingredients that I play with! If there is any doubt about how aromatherapy works, just check in with one of us soapmakers. We're a really happy bunch and we smell great, too!

10. Everything! I feel like this is what I am here to do. My mission is to help people find wonderful pleasure in the simple task of taking care of themselves. I believe that if we nurture our bodies and spirits, we are better able to give back to others and everyone wins.

Here are my 5 tag picks:

Stephanie Craig - Honey Bee Soaps
Debbie Chialtas - Soapylove
Lori Nova - The Nova Studio
Rochel Roland - The Joyful Bath Co.
Stephanie Reynolds - Hothouse Botanicals

Indies Rock!

Loving the Giveaway at Life Starring Ellie & Eve!

2009-01-22T12:32:00.000-08:00

Victoria Arya has the cutest blog called, "Life Starring Ellie and Eve". Ellie & Eve are her two adorable babies. The blog is so fun! Victoria's blog description is so cute. "A product review site specializing in fun, cool & trendy baby, kid & mom gear. Written by one cool momma with a lot to say." She and I teamed up to giveaway a Twin Birch Feeling the Love Gift Basket for Lovers. I LOVE reading all of the comments from her readers. Pop over & take a peek around. You will surely be entertained!~

Thanks to All...

2009-01-16T10:59:00.000-08:00

...of you for your love & kindness about Max!! Happily, I was able to pick him up this afternoon. It seems like he didn't have a stroke, but prolapsed a nerve in his neck between his vertebrae. He's had lots of steroids to stop the swelling and is feeling 150% better. When I picked him up, he was back to his old tricks... jumping up & down like a kangaroo, yanking me around like a kite behind him, crying like a baby.... so great! Now the trick is to keep him quiet for 12 days so he doesn't injure himself any more.
Doggie Valium, anyone? Wish me luck!

Our whole family read all of your sweet comments yesterday & today. Cora summed it up the best. She said, "These people are so nice!" She right. Thank you.

Prayers for Max

2009-01-15T12:18:00.001-08:00

Those of you who've been sweet enough to read One Bubble at a Time for awhile, have met Max.
He's our 3 1/2 year old yellow lab. He weighs in at about 120 and he is a handful! I haven't gone to see Marley & Me, because I'm pretty sure I live it. Read here, here, or here for more Max stories.Some odd behavior from Max prompted me to call the vet this morning. By 1 pm I was frantically driving him to an emergency appt. after my sweet friend Ramsey & I carried him up the stairs using a blanket as a hammock under his chest. Max had been carrying his head very low for 36 hours. I thought it was a flare up of an ear infection he's been treated for. Then he couldn't straighten his paw to walk and began to stumble around.

The Vet, Dr. Bob *(who I love) thinks he was having a stroke. He's at the Hospital having had a large dose of antibiotics & steroids to try to reduce the swelling causing the problems. He perked up a little as I was leaving and I'm praying that he'll be ok. Even though he drives me a little crazy, I love that big dog to bits. So, if you have a moment to say a little something for Max, we would all appreciate it! I'll keep you posted on his condition!

It's All About YUZU!

2009-01-12T07:33:00.000-08:00

I am in love with this bar of Yuzu Soap. It smells soo fresh, sunny, warm, sparkly, exciting.... The fragrance is Yuzu from Brambleberry. So amazing! And I'm really happy with my cold process formulation. It offers the perfect balance of sudsy fun & serious skin~loving moisturizers. My bars have great staying power in the shower. If they are left to dry in between uses, they will last for weeks.

Not only do I love it in this batch of soap, I also love it in bath bombs. So do the locals! The bombs have been selling out at The Randolph Farm Stand, a four season shop that features local farmers, artisans & products. I love having my products there. Scott and Tammy are two of the most genuinely nice people I know. And their store is beautiful.

Yuzu will be available February 1st. Drop me a comment if you'd like me to save you some. I promise it will bring sunshine & warmth to wherever you are!

Pick One of Two... EtsyBloggers Carnival Fun

2009-01-05T09:37:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! The Carnival Blog topics at EtsyBloggers Street Team for January are thought provoking. One choice is to write about the CPSIA Law of 2008. You can read up on it at Joey & Aleethea's blogpost. What I know is that it's hauntingly reminiscent of the FDA Globalization Act of 2008 which threatened the handcrafted bath & body business with all of its weighty regulation & hefty registration fees. Since I participated in local government for 4 years as a Selectboard member here in Randolph(please don't call me a Selectman!) LOL, I have seen with my own eyes how ordinances, laws & regulations can enhance & impede community life. I'm 100% support the guidelines in place to help our products be safe & well made. I am grateful to the Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild for the wealth of information that they provide to all of us independent businesses. I don't favor regulating small business out of business. I believe they are the honest backbone of a healthy economy. Whew! That was serious!

The other choice was to list some New Years resolutions. I can't be that serious about them because I hardly ever keep them for the whole year! Here are my not so serious promises to myself:

1. I will not freak out over cleaning my house anymore! It's one thing to be neat & tidy *(I am) it's something totally different to be a cranky whirling dervish upending the house in the name of vacuuming up some dust bunnies.

2. I will stop calling Atkins Shakes my breakfast. We have 10 hens. We get at least 56 eggs a week. No more shakes.

3. (And I am serious about this one) I will adopt a "drop everything and play" policy.
Since Austen entered 7th grade, I realize how fast these precious days evaporate. I don't care if the laundry needs switching or the email needs answering. I'll never be sad for putting those things off and spending time with our 4 sweet kids and my wonderful, adorable husband.

Three seems like a fair number. Of course I could go on & on about business goals, but those are written down and in place. Hopefully, this will be another Year of the Birch! :)

Oh, 1 more resolution... when someone says pick one of two, I will follow directions! LOL!

Etsy Front Page Surprise

2009-01-02T11:59:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!! I was so happy and surprised to get some Etsy convos congratulating me for making the front page on New Years Eve! Thanks to Elizabeth from Gassner Custom Soaps for her cute post about it! They featured my Champagne Chic Bath Bomb. FUN!!

I actually was celebrating with friends and never saw the "live shot". Fortunately, Elizabeth posted a picture.

Hopefully next time, I'll actually see it!!

Holiday Concert Fun

2008-12-28T18:11:00.000-08:00

It's so easy to get caught under by a busy Holiday Schedule. We spent 2 consecutive nights enjoying holiday concert cheer with our kids. On Monday, Dec. 15th, Austen played in the High School Holiday Concert. He plays the Sax. All of the kids did a great job!
On Tuesday, Dec. 16th, Ella & Peter showed off their stuff in the Randolph Elementary School Holiday Concert. Ella sang with the kinders, and Peter played drum in the band. We can't wait for Cora's Valentine's Show!

I don't know what it is, but I always get teary at these things. Thank goodness for the beautiful wool scarf that my MIL brought back from Ireland! It hides my brimming eyes!

Final Feel the Love Giveaway~ Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-22T12:52:00.001-08:00

I have had so much stress trying to figure out who, what, how to determine the last Feel the Love Giveaway! It's been bubbling in my brain for days! Well, it just hit me! I was making my very first Buche de Noel (more on that another day) when I decided what to do!

The bottom line is, I love all of you who read, visit, comment & check in. Knowing all of you is the motivation to sitting down to share these moments of my life & business. I couldn't possibly pick one person to send the last gift to. So! The first 10 people to leave a comment on this post will receive one of my holiday~scented~all~natural~extra~yummy Artisan Soap Bars. I'll happily & lovingly pick your gift. I can tell you that I love each & every one of the bars.

You might get:

Perfect Pumpkin, Cranberry Cheer, Candy Cane or Vermont Spruce. They will come with lots of love! Email your addy to me at twinbirch(at)verizon(dot)net. I won't ship them out before next week, so they'll arrive just in time for you to relax a little! :)

Most importantly, I wish you all several quiet moments to reflect on what is most important this Holiday Season! I also wish you each a wonderful Holiday!!

Spotted Cow Soaps... It's a Small World

2008-12-21T13:22:00.000-08:00

I love being a member of the Etsy Blogger's Street Team. It's so fun to learn about other crafters!

Each month they feature one of their members' store and all of the other members get bloggy about them. This month's featured member is close to home... really. Her name is Linda, but she is known as Spotted Cow Soaps. Before I knew Linda, I knew her husband, Todd. He was one of the super crafty guys who built our house 4 years ago. He is quite an artisan. You should see the work in my home~here's a peek at the dining room. Check out the wainscoat & the trim around the window. That's by Todd & the guys.So, less than a mile from where I live, is Linda of Spotted Cow. She makes such fun soaps & sundries. That picture of her Candy Cane soap has caught my eye a hundred times on Etsy. Although it may be a little late to place your Christmas order, you should poke over and find something to treat yourself. I think you'll love it.

The Tree's Up! The Tree's Down! The Tree's Up!

2008-12-16T12:32:00.000-08:00

I don't know if I've mentioned this, but I have some issues around Christmas. They aren't bad, I just like things to be just so. Those of you who have read Mooseltoe by Margie Palatini and
Henry Cole, may be able to understand how I am. I don't know why. I mostly enjoy it, but sometimes I make myself (and my family) a little crazy.

I have a picture of the perfect Christmas tree in my mind's eye. It used to be the perfect balsam, with perfect branches and a perfectly straight trunk. Now it's the tree that my whole family picks out and falls in love with. Starting next year, it will come from our back yard and it will be a spruce or fir. A little scraggly for me, but if they all love it, I will too.

This year's tree was delivered by a friend with lots of love. It's a balsam, so it fits my profile. ;)
The thing is, it fell down yesterday and now we have trust issues. I look at it everytime I walk by and I think it waves to me, daring me to make the slightest breeze so it has an excuse to take a spill. It has been vertical for a full 24 hours, so I'm starting to believe that it's going to behave. I'll let you know.

Feel the Love Friday Giveaway for you Piggies

2008-12-12T05:23:00.000-08:00

This is the time of year when our feet take a beating. They are stuffed into boots of all comfort levels. Some look like this:

Or this:

Or (my favorite and the least practical here in the Green Mountain State) THIS!

No matter what, we could all use a little of this:Buy it on Twin Birch Etsy or, if you're Enchanted from Enchanted Hills Creations, send me your addy at twinbirch(at)verizon(dot)net, and you'll have it in your hands so you can take care of your feet!!!

Happy Weekend, everyone!

Man! Your Hair is Crazy!

2008-12-09T04:59:00.000-08:00

At the elementary school, there is a long standing tradition called Crazy Hair Day. It's always on a Friday and I always have a little stress about it. Mostly because our morning routine is down to the minute. No time to spare. So, the idea of coming up with some innovative, adorable hair do to install at 7:11 am while the kids put on their snowpants (yes, already!) isn't my favorite. Here are the results of this year's challenge. There are chopsticks & gobs of vaseline in the girls hair. Thanks goodness Peter's idea of crazy is putting in some ponytails. The hair trend for ten year old boys is long, longer, longest. I'm picking my battles carefully.

Who else has these fun events in their school? Am I the only hair scrooge? Happy Styling!

Feel the Love Giveaway is the Bomb

2008-12-07T20:02:00.000-08:00

Are you all just cranking through this holiday season? Am I the only one who realized that there are only 17 days 'til Christmas?! I had the most fun, fun, fun Bubble Open House yesterday! I'll blog in the next day or two about all of my favorite girlfriends who came up to do some shopping.

As for my favorite bloggy girlfriends, I feel so lucky to have so many of you! I've been loving this giveaway promo for the past bunch of weeks. Even though I started out calling it Feel the Love Friday Giveaway, it slid quickly to Saturday, Sunday... thanks for all of the patience! :)

I made a whole bunch of bombs for a beautiful store in Burlington Vermont called Candles & Creations. I think they are really fabulous, so I'm packing up a four pack for Elizabeth of Gassner Custom Soaps. Go check her blog & her etsy shop! She's an adorable mom and very gifted soaper (and cutie tutu maker, too!)
Here you go Elizabeth... you're the bomb! xoxo

Deck the Halls...

2008-11-30T05:47:00.001-08:00

...with Twin Birch Foaming Hand Wash. This is the easiest yummiest way to bring the Holiday Spirit home! I love these foamers everyday, but especially around the holidays! I know I've hit the mark with yummy scents because all of our guests have been walking around my house sniffing their hands! :) (I should have taken a picture!) You could be sniffing your hands, too! Just stop by Twin Birch on Etsy and click up some yummy holiday fun!

My favorite four are~
UNDER THE MISTLETOE~ Christmas Tree Bliss
FROSTY GRAPEFRUIT~citrus tang with a hint of juniper & sweet
PEPPERMINT PARTY~the best kind of fresh not~too~sweet peppermint
CRANBERRY CHEER~sweet, tart & spicy... love it!

If you love 2 of one or 3 of the other, just let me know and I'll pack your special box with lots of love! Happy Holidays!

Feeling the Love Giveaway ~ Energize!

2008-11-28T07:13:00.000-08:00

Happy Black Friday, y'all! Hope your Thanksgivings were full of love and great food!!

Congrats to mother of 4~ Heidi from Soapaholics Anonymous and to Joanna from Product Body & the Soap Bar! You are hard working~industrious~inspiring women!! Here comes some Energy to carry you along! You girls were picked at random by my niece! The gift sets come with lots of Vermont Love!! Go visit Heidi & Joanna~ you'll love them... promise!

Visit Twin Birch for your own Energy & other goodies! I'm offering free shipping on all product orders over $75 & (as always) a free goodie will be included with your order no matter what! xoxo

Giving Thanks for All Of You & Where's the Giveaway?

2008-11-26T07:25:00.000-08:00

Whew! These are some crazy days! I know I still haven't announced the Feeling the Love Friday Giveaway from last week~ Let's make tardiness fun and have TWO winners this Friday! Stop in early~ and leave me a comment today~ so you can take advantage of my slip up! ;)

Have you all ever seen Plymouth Rock? Well~ here's a picture. It's arguably the most important rock in the New World. Is it huge? Nope. It's kind of small. But if you stop and think about how stark it is, you might imagine what it was like for the Pilgrims when they landed~ not so easy.
I get a little crabby when my bathroom floor is too cold. Can you imagine the first winter here? Yikes. I'm thankful for heat!

And... I'm thankful for all of you fun, sweet, lovely bloggers. Although most of us have never met, each of you make my life better with your sweet messages and fun thoughts. Thank you for all of the love that you send up here! I'm wishing you all a wonderful, full & rich Thanksgiving!~ much love!

Last Batch Before Christmas

2008-11-19T04:41:00.000-08:00

It blows me away how quickly this time of year flies by! Case in point~ It's too late to make another batch of CP for the holidays. Mmmmm~ makes me consider HP as a choice. Given that my soap needs 4~5 weeks to cure, I'm all done. Time to think about Valentine's Day and Spring. :)

Here's the last batch for the Holidays. If you're a peppermint person (and I am!) this one is for you! It's called Candy Cane, but it's the best kind of fresh, crisp peppermint scent. There's nothing sticky about it! I'll post it on TWIN BIRCH at ETSY next week, but if you'd like to pre~order, leave me a comment and I'll get it to you. Woot!

Let's Just Get Along

2008-11-16T11:52:00.000-08:00

I cracked up when I looked outside and saw Max hanging out with the chickens. He was having a nice moment in the sun and didn't mind a bit when they came by to do a little pecking. The only time he causes trouble with our ten hens is when we collect the eggs. Apparently he loves the raw egg more than Rocky Balboa. He tries to get them from our hands so he can make off with a snack.
That's life with Max.

Feel the Love Friday Giveaway in a Perfect Way

2008-11-15T05:09:00.000-08:00

Happy Weekend, everyone! I hope you all are enjoying a fun, easy Saturday. We are going to watch a Dartmouth Football game this afternoon. They are playing Brown. Is a little rainy but I'm hoping for a miracle clearing of the skies. That would be perfect.

Speaking of perfect, I am head over heels for Perfect Pumpkin. It's a great seasonal fragrance! I'm not huge on the sweet scents, so this is just right for me. It has a little spice and there's something about it that keeps is from being icky sweet. It also has that fresh pumpkin~in~a~good~way thing about it. I made up little gift sets with a lotion, body wash and little butterfly pouf. They've done super well at the craft fairs and I thought it would be a great give away item.Congrats to Michele at Soapy Elephant. She wins a little set to enjoy~hope she does! Michele~ send me your addy at twinbirch(at)verizon(dot)net and I'll get it out within the week! Y'all ;) should check our Michele's blog and her etsy shop. She makes some really pretty soap at Soapy Elephant and.. does she make the pretty jewelry at Girl Lavender, too?! So talented!

Get your own sets at Twin Birch on Etsy. They are a great value~ and come in fun fragrances!

Table for 20

2008-11-12T03:25:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is at our house this year. We'll have about 20 people. Grandparents, cousins, aunties & uncles. It's one of my favorite days and I LOVE having everyone come here! I'm just now starting to plan the menu. I'm feeling slightly adventurous this year and would love to hear about which side dishes you all love. It's so fun to check out how our menus are impacted by where we live, how we grew up... Please share!!!

Meanwhile, look at the adorable apron I found on etsy! Don't you all want one? I found this cutie store this morning. The shop features really cute aprons. She has adorable Mommy & me setts and this cute autumn frock ;) You can buy it at jnsweeny

Feel the Love Friday Giving Away in a Peaceful Way

2008-11-07T07:34:00.000-08:00

I'm heading out to other craft show this weekend. Boy, the holidays sure are crazy, aren't they??
In that vein, I thought that this weeks giveaway should offer a little Peace to life. This bar is just the ticket. It smells sooo yummy. Clean, fresh~ kind of like a crisp winter day. You can get your very own at Twin Birch at Etsy.

Unless you are Pajama Mama, then I'm sending it to you for free!! Send me your addy, girlie!!
I can't wait to ship it! And go see her blog. She's adorable!

Happy Weekend! :)

ding dong!

2008-11-05T03:27:00.000-08:00

Well, I've fallen in love! I can't spend enough time watching our 10 little hens as they wander about our yard and have their little chicken day. There is even a little Comet hen who thinks she's my pet. She runs to me a-clucking & a-chatting every time I go out to feed them, etc. Love it!

Last week we had our first snowy day. Here are a couple of peeks at some of the snow we had last year. Here & here (I didn't handle it well) So, all of my 10 hens decided that they'd rather be in than out. This is the sight I saw when I went out to do a little errand running. I'd be ok with it, except for the poo. Chickens are good for lots of poo. Not so charming.

November 4th

2008-11-03T13:09:00.000-08:00

In my past life, I was a girl who wanted to be a political journalist. I'm not that happy to discuss politics with friends & family. That can get too icky. But I LOVE the whole process of electing our leaders and representatives. I think it's the greatest, most interesting thing to listen to candidates' ideas & philosophies as well as the public's reaction to them. We are so fortunate to debate & discuss the matters that are important to us and then shut out the world while we cast our VERY OWN vote for the person we believe in most. It's extraordinary, really.

So, I'll keep my vote a secret. I'm sure all of you will be marching off to cast your vote tomorrow, too. I hope you feel as lucky as I do. And then it will be November 5th. I'll be happily making soap and being a mom, in a brand new chapter of American History. Cool.

Halloween Fun in the 'Hood

2008-11-02T07:43:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of pix from our Halloween Escapades this year. The trick or treating was capped off with a little party at our friend's house. I'm going out on a limb by posting the back side shot of the lederhosen. Please note that no names are mentioned as we are committed to protecting the identity of this well respected pediatrician in our hometown of Randolph, Vermont.

Cora was Cutie Devil Girl. Ella was Sleeping Beauty. Peter was Tom Brady's bodyguard and Austen was Injured Tom Brady. I was a Witch(quite a stretch) and Gerry was Randy Moss with a creepy mask. It was a blast. Oh, and do notice our friends dressed as Betty & Barney Rubble along with Sarah Palin. Aren't they adorable? ;)

Feel the Love Friday Hops Aboard the Holiday Express

2008-11-01T07:50:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a fab Halloween! We had a blast. I'll have to post about that this week. I have a picture of a great friend in lederhosen, but he won't let me blog about him... I have to apply a little pressure. It will be worth it, though. He has great knees. hee hee!

Congratulations to Teresa R of Life, Homesteading & Everything. She's an adorable mom who home~schools here sweetie kids and muses about everything from fine lit. to chickens. She's also a great handcrafted soap customer. Who doesn't love that? Go over to her blog. You'll love her, too! So, Teresa.... Here's the giveaway gift.

It's my Holiday Trio of Artisan Soap... a cute little package of my three holiday favs~ perfect pumpkin, cranberry cheer & vermont spruce. It's all dressed up and ready to give. Or keep. I love all three of these soaps. Hopefully you will too!

You can grab one from etsy. They are great for hostess gifts during the Holiday Party Season or for Stockings & Hanukkah treats. Congrats to you, Teresa & thanks for being such a great, sweet friend! I have your addy, so I'll get it out to you this week!

Under the Willow Love & The Inevitable Last Minute Halloween Crunch

2008-10-30T03:18:00.000-07:00

How cute is Carrie~Gigi of Under the Willow? I'll tell you! She won my Feel the Love Friday Giveaway a couple of weeks ago and she sent ME a package of goodies! That just cracks me up.
I'm feeling pretty lucky and well loved! She sent these 2 adorable fabric bags, which are perfect for wrapping a gift to someone you love, or for storing your special things! They are adorable. I love the prints, too! Notice the cute dogs and the sweet prim design!

C~G also sent this brilliant idea for using that tiny bit of m&p left over from making a batch of soap! Look at these pinecones! Aren't they sooo sweet?! She says to dip them into your leftover soap 3 times, to coat them well. I'm guessing you'd let them dry for a few minutes between dips.
How sweet and perfect would these be to decorate your Tree this Christmas? Or to put in the guest bath for a lovely, natural looking decoration? It's such a great idea! I always have that little, tiny bit of leftover. I'll bet it would even work with a thin~trace CP... just have to let them cure.

Thank you so much for all of the soapy love, C~G! You're way too generous! Go visit Under the Willow and Mud Puddle Girl to read Carrie's great, fun blogs. And head over to her Under the Willow site to purchase some divine goodies!! She it too cute!! :)

So, it's the day before Halloween. Undoubtedly, I'll be charged with some "minor" tweak of the costumes or, worse, someone will decide at 4:37 tomorrow afternoon that they hate their costume and burst into tears~ lol! I remember when the boys were little and they would come to me with their adorable little faces and say, "MOMMY?! Would you make me a PIRATE COSTUME? I brought you the stuff to make it!!! " They'd look up at me with big, proud smiles and produce 3 toothpicks, 7 LEGO pieces and a tortilla. At least these days I can just go to the store like everyone else! Let me know about your favorite costume! Did you *gulp* sew it from scratch, pull it together? Feel free to link me to a picture. I just love this stuff! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

Bubbles are Beautiful

2008-10-29T03:00:00.001-07:00

I still love this little spot that I put together on animoto.com

Feel the Love Friday Giveaway on Monday

2008-10-27T09:42:00.000-07:00

Wow! I feel like I fell off of the face of the Earth. Actually, I just got back from a super fun 3 day craft show in Essex, Vermont (outside of Burlington). Whew! That is some seriously fun, hard work! Here's a little picture... I couldn't find one where I didn't look all pooped out! :)

I had a great time. It's such a blast to meet up with fellow crafters. I even had the chance to meet twitter friend Stephanie from Honey Bee Soaps. (She's such a cutie & her lemongrass soaps smell like heaven!)

So here's the announcement for Friday's Giveaway on Monday. ;) I promise I'll be back on track this Friday! PROMISE!!!!

Congratulations to Bunny B! She is the big winner this week. The treat is a slice of Whipped Pumpkin Soap. It was a big hit at the fair and even earned me 3 great new wholesale accounts (!) As is always the case, it was an afterthought that I grabbed on my way out the door. Love that! I'll be popping it onto Etsy tomorrow. (ps... It also comes in Cocoa!)

So, Bunny! Email me your address at twinbirch(at)verizon(dot)net. I'll pop it in the mail and you can have your very own Pumpkin Party!

Featured on Little Window Shoppe

2008-10-20T19:20:00.000-07:00

I'm blushing and happy today. I received an email from Emily Norton of Little Window Shoppe.com. Her site is the greatest spot for browsing through adorable shops & sweet products.
Anyway, she wrote a blog post about Halloween products and featured my Boo the Ghost soaps and my Hauntingly Adorable Halloween Ducks. *big smile*

Here's what Emily says about her fun sight:
"Little Window Shoppe was created to highlight sweet shoppes and charming ideas in order to promote Shoppe and Boutique owners (with thousands of viewer each week), as well as help Window Shoppers find delightful ideas. "

Delightful is the word. Click over there, click around and be ready to smile with delight! Thanks, Emily! Happy Halloween!

Feel the Love REALLY Friday Giveaway Week 4

2008-10-18T05:47:00.000-07:00

I know, it's Saturday morning! I woke up, slapped myself on the forehead and said, "Oh s#@t!"
Sorry!

So, this weeks giveaway is about sharing the love with the one that you love. My Birch Bedroom
Massage Melts are such a natural, softening, yummy way to deliver *or receive* a great massage!
Let's face it, most of us are running around like maniacs with work, family & life. I'm not saying that's bad, I think it's uber fun. I also believe it makes the quiet times that much sweeter.

So, this week's winner of the Feel the Love *REALLY* (Saturday) Giveaway is......
Sherrie G. from Birch Bark Soap. Sherrie makes the prettiest soap! She's up in Nova Scotia being inspired by birch trees just like me!! Click over & peek at her soaps. You'll love them!
Hope you love the melts, Sherrie! Go ahead, rub it in! ;)

Sherrie, email me your addy~ twinbirch(at)verizon(dot)net. Yay! Happy Saturday, everyone!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like.....

2008-10-14T20:23:00.001-07:00

CHRISTMAS!!!! This is my fav. bar of soap du jour! I'm calling it Vermont Spruce. It's a nod to the beautiful conifers that surround us here in the Northeast and also a tip of the hat to you-know-when! CHRISTMAS!!!! The idea of putting the trees on the bars came to me out of the blue and about 6 degrees from stirring time during the lye/oil cool down. I just love it, though.
And the fragrance is great. Fresh spruce on a crisp winter's day... breathe in and escape to the woods. Yum.

I'm bringing these to the Essex Craft Fair next weekend, but I'll have several batches for sale on etsy in the next few weeks. If you're interested, leave me a comment and I'll reserve your bars.
Ho, ho, ho! :)

.... And, Action! Twin Birch's Made In Vermont TV Debut

2008-10-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

I was reminded yesterday how fun it is to challenge yourself and step out of your comfort zone! It's damn fun! I got a message from Jack Thurston, a reporter from WCAX our CBS station in Burlington. Jack does a great weekly feature called "Made in Vermont". He had happened upon my Boo the Ghost soaps and wanted to come to the Bubble Lab on Friday morning to do a piece on Twin Birch. Here's what went through my head for the first 3 seconds: "OMG!" "ME?!" "I'm not ready for that" "I'm not sure about this" "Are you kidding?" I very quickly switched to, "YAY!!!!" "This is going to be so fun!" "Waaaaah Hooooooo!"

I was a little nervous, but my sweet girlfriends, Ramsey & Beth and her daughter Emiline were all here to offer support. Gerry also came home from work. Seeing him here was instantly calming. *big smile* Plus, my other sweet girlfriend, Jennifer showed up on Thursday and whipped this place into a "camera~ready" work area. I also got phone calls & emails galore from even more sweet girlfriends (I am a lucky girl!)

Jack and his camera woman, Robin, were really fun to work with. They were great to have here and the morning included plenty of laughter. In the end, it was pretty easy and a total blast!!

Here's a look: (please forgive the commercial!)

I LOVED seeing my soap on TV! That was the best part! So, bye~bye comfort zone... I'm ready for more adventure! Thanks to Jack & Robin, you guys are the greatest!

Feel the Love Friday Giveaway Week 3

2008-10-10T14:46:00.000-07:00

Whew! This has been a crazy day. I did have my TV interview! It's going to air in about 1/2 hour so I've got to go get into my pj's to watch! (It's a comfort thing!)

Before I go... Congratulations to Carrie~Gigi of Under the Willow & Mud Puddle Girl!!! She wins a box of goodies including Shake! (for Bella her gorgeous Lab & her other pups), Perfect Pumpkin & Cranberry Cheer Foaming Hand Wash. I can close my eyes and imagine her beautiful kitchen with my soap in it!! *Sigh!* So, C~G, please email me your addy and I'll send your goodies out!!
(twinbirch (at) verizon (dot) net.)

I love your comments, everyone!! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your great thoughts! I always have a big smile on my face when I read them. If you love something you read~ please share One Bubble with your friends. It's so fun to meet people this way! By the same token, if you have a blog that you love~ drop me a link. I love discovering new blogs as much as visiting my favs!

Next up: a post about my TV debut. What a blast!!

Bombs Away!

2008-10-09T12:25:00.001-07:00

I'm getting ready to set up my tent at the 28th Annual Craft & Fine Art Show in Essex Junction, VT. It's by far the largest show I've done. Three days and (last year) 35,000 people in attendance. YAY! I'm looking forward to meeting up with lots of fellow soapers from the area.

One of my favorite bath & body products is the bath bomb. I love them because they touch 4 of the 5 senses and because I LOVE a great soak. All of you who make these puppies know that they are fickle and frustrating to make at first. I'm so psyched because I finally have my bath bomb groove on! I made them in Champagne Chic, Cranberry Cheer, Ginger Lime, Love You Lavender, Peppermint Party, Holly Berry, Warm Vanilla, Perfect Pumpkin and Bella Luna.

I haven't listed them on etsy yet, but I will... promise! And they'll be piled high at the craft show. If you're around PLEASE come say hi to me! I'll be there for all three days.

ps. Shhhhhh! I'm afraid to jinx myself, but I have a date with a super nice reporter from our Burlington station to do a spot about Twin Birch tomorrow. Fingers crossed that it will all pan out! stay tuned!

GO SOX!!!!!!!

2008-10-07T06:57:00.000-07:00

What an awesome game against the Angels last night!! I'm so psyched. Wish I was at Fenway singing "Dirty Water" with all of the peeps. Well, I'm enjoying it back on the playlist. Feel free to sing along!

Can't wait 'til Friday! My uncle lives in St. Petersburg! *big, cheesy grin* GO SOX!!!!!!!

Mama's Magic Studio... You'll Love It!

2008-10-05T09:46:00.000-07:00

October is flying by! The EstyBloggers Street Team Featured Artist for this month is Mama's Magic Studio. Jen is the Mama and she has an AMAZING way with beads. She also has 2 (TWO) stores on Etsy. One is Baby Friendly Beads which offers breast feeding bead jewelry. The idea is that Mom wears a cute bead necklace that's safe for baby to play with. I have done my fair share of breastfeeding in this life (x 4 kids) and I have had my hair pulled and skin pinched at least a few times. I wish I had seen these back then! Oh! AND these pieces are REALLY PRETTY. (see above) So, don't think you have to be breastfeeding to wear them. They'd be great for DATE NIGHT, too! ;)

Jen also owns Mama's Magic Studio which has the most adorable, attractive, delightful jewelry. Just look at these earrings:

I'm pretty sure I'm going to own them very soon!

Jump over and read Jen's blog Mama's Magic Studio. She features different Etsy Shops every Friday. Very cute! Congrats to you, Jen! You are one super crafty girl!!

Feel the Love Friday Giveaway week 2.

2008-10-03T11:36:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! So, it's Friday. We're having friends over for a little Mexican food and a full contact darts tourney. Fun times ahead!

Speaking of fun, it's the second Feel the Love Friday~ time to announce the giveaway winner.......

It's TRISHA from Suds to Love! Go check our her very cute pups & great soaps!
She wins:
Grapefruit Lily & Cranberry Cheer!

Congrats, Trisha! Thanks to all of you for your fun comments. More giveaway next Friday!!!

Happy Weekend! :)

Autumn in Vermont

2008-10-02T03:40:00.000-07:00

"Every leaf speaks

bliss to me,
fluttering from the
autumn tree."

~Emily Bronte

I'm so lucky to have such a beautiful view from my kitchen window. It's just gorgeous during the fall! I need to remember these days when I'm having a day like this.Now you all can enjoy it, too!!

Don't forget.. tomorrow is Feel the Love Friday! Leave a comment & I'll pull a name to giveway something for free!

They Went, They Tested, They Passed (& so did Ella & I)

2008-09-30T20:05:00.000-07:00

Hooray for Peter & Austen! They were invited to test for their Red Belts at the Bradford Dojang quarterly testing. Bradford has at least 20 Black Belts in their gym, plus many students, so the testing is really intimidating! (I know because I tested with Ella for our Yellow Belts on the same night! *gulp!*)

Anyway, the boys did an outstanding job. Here's a peek at their board breaking~pretty cool!

We are so proud of them! Hopefully, they'll test for their Black Belts in March 2010!

Special thanks to all of the Randolph students who made the trek to watch our testing! You guys are the best!

Liberty Orchard Fun

2008-09-29T04:43:00.000-07:00

On Friday I chaperoned Ella's kindergarten trip to Liberty Orchards in Brookfield. It's such a fun trip (I've done it 4 times!) The new owners are just as generous as the previous ones. They let each of the 3 classes take a big bag of apples back to school for lots of yummy munching.

The kids were taught how to pick an apple and keep the tree healthy. The next try was a great success!

The Canada Geese pulled into V-formation overhead. Can't wait to see them on their return trip

Isn't this the cutest class? Mrs. MacBruce is my favorite! I wish she could stay with them through to High School Graduation!

Ella's friend Olivia is part of the Kaplan clan. Their 3 line up with our 3 (Austen is a year older than Jacob, but he and Peter are fast friends with him) Isaac is in Cora's class. All of our kids have been friend since about day 2.

Sometimes things go perfectly. The rain that we were due to get from Hurricane Kyle showed up at exactly the same moment that we got back to school.

Feel the Love Friday Giveaway

2008-09-26T12:44:00.000-07:00

Soooo.... It's Friday! I'm so psyched to go sit in front of the fire (it's COLD & rainy up here!) with a glass of pinot gris! But before I go... here's the first Feel the Love Friday Giveaway winner.
Drum Roll, please.... the winner of these lovely little ghosts and a yummy Energy Body Mist is Jennie W. of Beehive & Bird's Nest. Jennie's blog usually makes me LOL (laugh out loud). Go check it out!

Keep leaving comments! I'll keep giving stuff away!

Happy weekend, everyone! And CHEERS!

Martha Love... The Martha Blog Contest

2008-09-23T08:52:00.000-07:00

Martha Stewart recently did a segment about blogging with Perez Hilton. We all know that Perez Hilton is a great blogger. Of course, it makes perfect sense that Martha is also a fellow blogger! What better way to share the ups and downs of everyday life?

She has offered a chance to get "blogged about" on her blog, by posting a comment and linking on your blog. Make sense? I mean, who WOULDN'T want to be on Martha's blog? ;) Do you think she'll ever Twitter?

Today you can read about two new kittens on her farm! They are just adorable!!

ps. check out marthastewart.com for incredible Halloween Ideas. Her decoration projects always drive me to channel my Inner Martha!

Give Away Today, Give Away Every Friday Until Christmas

2008-09-22T17:02:00.000-07:00

In a very un-scientific way, my family and I drew a name to decide who would 2 bars of Twin Birch Artisan Soap... Perfect Pumpkin and Cranberry Cheer. They all wanted to pull the name, so I just did it because it was time for dinner, I had a little low-blood-sugar thing going on... you know how that all goes. Anyway, I'm so happy to say that the winner is right here in beautiful Randolph, Vermont. My friend Ramsey gets some free soap! I'm so happy because she's one of 2 friends who actually visit my blog. I guess all of the other girls figure they've already heard the story of the day, so what's the point? :)

Anyway, congrats to Ramsey! Here's her picture. She's with 3 of her 4 kids. Isn't she beautiful?

So, I love the holidays! Have I mentioned that? Since I can't help myself, I'll be giving something away every week until Christmas. I'm calling it "Feel the Love Friday". It's going to be random, but fun so please check in and leave comments. I'll be drawing names from all of the comments left from Saturday thru Thursday of that week. It will be something fun and it'll smell good, too! I'm psyched to send out lots of bubble love!

Puking at the Tunbridge Fair

2008-09-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

I'm sure it's not unique that kids throw up at the fair. It's just that I've never been the mom of one kid who puked after a ride. This year I was the mom of TWO pukers. They went on the Twirly Hurl 3 times in a row. Then...it was kind of like the Barf-O-Rama scene in "Stand By Me". So, here are the exit interviews of the 2 chuckers. They might make you sick or they might make you laugh! Let me know either way! ;)

The vid. is so dark because Austen had to go lie in the grass in a quiet corner.

How Do You Feel About Fall?

2008-09-16T11:14:00.000-07:00

Well, it's here. There are leaves in the driveway, the air is cooler and the Tunbridge Fair has come and gone (check back for that post~as long as you have a strong stomach!) It's Autumn in Vermont. For me, fall is bitter~sweet. I LOVE the upcoming holidays and all of the tradition that comes our way. I will miss the care~free days of summer. *sigh*

So, how about you? How do you feel about this time of year? What are your favorite things about it? Recipes? Family Traditions? Treasures to pull out from the closet? Let me know! Let's make it a giveaway! I'll use Teresa's method to pick a winner on Sept. 21st. You'll win 2 bars of Twin Birch Artisan Soap... Perfect Pumpkin and Cranberry Cheer.

Happy Fall! :)

All's Fun In Love

2008-09-12T04:42:00.000-07:00

This is hard to believe... I've been married for 18 years. It's not that it's been hard at all. In fact, it has been such a wonderful ride of fun and adventure, with a sprinkle of profound sadness and pulling through a few dark moments, that time has just flown! We have the same crazy, hectic life as a lot of you. Four kids, a ridiculously large dog, 10 hens, house, Gerry's law practice, my soap~gig... sometimes I just laugh. (ok, sometimes I cry, too!) Mostly, I laugh. Click here to see Gerry in a death~defying moment at a water park in Lincoln, NH! (We call the ride "The Toilet Bowl!"

Anyway, I'm still crazy for Gerry and all of the wonderful things that he is. One of his best talents (and he has many), he gives amazing massages. Really good. That's what inspired my latest gift idea on Etsy. Because being in love is fun.

It's the perfect gift for newlyweds, an anniversary, and of course... Christmas & Hanukkah. Oh! Don't forget New Year's Eve! Click here to take a peek! ;)

We Will Never Forget

2008-09-11T06:04:00.000-07:00

This morning, I am remembering very clearly that awful day seven years ago. I am praying for those who were lost and for those who were left behind. I hope that we always remember the heroism and courage of that day.

Yummy Massage Melts

2008-09-10T05:54:00.001-07:00

Who doesn't love a great massage? No matter how bad a day can be, a massage from someone special can be the answer to the day's worries. My massage melts are the greatest way to deliver or receive a scrumptious, relaxing massage.

These little cuties are about 2 oz each. There are 2 in the package and each one is probably good for 2 luxurious rub~downs. Doesn't that work out nicely? :) They are made with natural, skin~loving ingredients: Olive oil, Carnauba wax, Candelilla wax &Bees wax. Your skin will love them and so will the rest of you.

Two little tidbits to consider~ They are primarily Olive Oil-great for the skin, a little tough on the sheets. The only problem I've run into was when the melt was left resting on the fabric... a little stain happened. Also, since they are melts, they can't stand high temperatures. Don't leave them in direct sunlight or in a hot spot.

They come in 4 fragrances: Romantic~lavender, vanilla & sandalwood
Champagne & Berries~spicy, sweet & sexy
Starry Night~musky sandalwood, patchouli & rose
Tryst~jasmine & midnight sweetness

Where will you get them? Right here! ;)

And The Winner Is... ME!

2008-09-08T14:06:00.000-07:00

I love reading Teresa's blog Life, Homesteading, and Everything. She's funny, interesting and kind. She's also a great soap customer, which I thoroughly appreciate!! Recently, she posted a give-away. She is giving away The Creativity Book by Eric Maisel...and she's giving it to me! :) I won her very fair, random drawing. ;)
I'm so excited. I would love a year's worth of inspiration, which is what the book promises!!

Thanks Teresa! You're a honey! Do pop over to Teresa blog... you'll love it!

The Cutest Jumper I've Ever Seen

2008-09-05T13:21:00.000-07:00

I'm psyched to be a member of the Etsy Bloggers Street Team. I'm still figuring it out, but I'm telling you, there are some awesome crafts people/ bloggers on this team. Each month they have a featured blogger. This month it's Joey & Aleethea. These people make the most adorable baby clothes ever!! Although I'm not willing to make another baby to dress them in these outfits, I can't wait til my brother and his wife start with their brood so I can dress them all in Joey & Aleethea's A~DORABLE products!! Just look at this Vespa Jumper. Are you kidding? I want one in my size!

Pop over by clicking here and check out their fun blog. Think hard! You MUST know someone little enough to fit into their cutie clothes!

The Ladies

2008-09-05T04:38:00.000-07:00

Our little flock of hens is doing so well. I am amazed at how entertained I am to watch them from my kitchen window. They are quite a little group. They have been feasting on our crickets for weeks. They follow me up the trail to go blackberry picking with me. They dart from here to there for reasons I don't know. Really, they are quite fun.

Little Guy, our kindergarten chicken is now about 18 mos old. She faithfully lays one egg each day. As the only survivor of our Kinder~flock, she holds a special place in my heart. Plus, she lived with Connor, the rooster~with~anger~issues, for months before he met up with that awful fox. (see Connor's story here.)

I can't wait until all of the girls are laying eggs. I'm guessing it won't be too long now. They are about six months old. When do they start producing? I know one of you has the answer.
Meanwhile, they walk by the window of the bubble lab while I'm soapmaking and I know all is right in the world.

Pumpkin Party

2008-09-03T04:52:00.000-07:00

I made a batch of Cinnamon Pumpkin CP this weekend. It's the first time that I used colorants from my spice drawer. The coloring is mostly turmeric with just a dash of paprika. I added both to the lye solution and mixed in some cinnamon while it was coming to trace.

I've seen my new favorite word..."SCRUMMY". That's the best description of how this beautiful bar smells. It's SCRUMMY. Can't wait to post it on Etsy during the 1st week of October!

Final Thoughts on Blackberries

2008-09-01T16:06:00.000-07:00

My girlfriend, Ramsey was kind enough to point out that I posted a picture of black raspberries posing as blackberries. So, I want to share a picture of the real blackberries we've been enjoying.
Thanks to all of you for your awesome recipe ideas! If you missed the fun, check it out and make sure to read the comments because the ideas for using up blackberries are KILLER!

Speaking of killer, I'm a city girl who loves the country, the woods & my adopted home state of Vermont. However, I have no desire to run into any bears. Although I've been reassured 1000 times that the black bears which live around here are "more afraid of you, don't want to run into you either, will run as soon as they hear you coming...", I'm scared of them. After all, when we say that something brings out the MAMA BEAR in us, we're not talking about tea & cookies, right?

On an amazingly beautiful walk in our woods yesterday we came across this:

I'm pretty sure that it's bear $&%#! (I guess you can also call it scat.) I know the picture's not that great... I was shaking when I took it. Do note the blackberry seeds which are quite evident.
:)

Needless to say, I spent the rest of the hike hooting and hollering. I like to think they heard me coming and made other plans. Oh, and guess who else has blackberry seeds in his poo? I'll give you a hint.....

Ellisms

2008-08-31T07:43:00.000-07:00

Ella has a language all her own. We call her personal interpretation of words Ellisms. I don't think she means to change the words, but we all crack up when she does. (Quietly or else she gets super~mad at us.) We've actually incorporated some of her words into our everyday language. Here are a few examples:

Friona~her friend Riona

Monnenary Jack~Monterey Jack Cheese
GlipGloss~LipGloss
The Combo~Gerry's parents'ski condo

Framilla~Vanilla

There are more isms to share... I will fill you in every once in awhile. What will we do when she says all of these words the right way?

What's Your Favorite Blackberry Recipe?

2008-08-28T08:11:00.000-07:00

I'm looking for a little audience participation today. One of the best things about living on our land is that we have a huge amount of wild blackberries. I have been picking about 2 quarts a day for the past week. We've put them on cereal and yogurt. We've eaten them by the handful. I've thought of cobbler & crisp. But, I'm wondering, what would all of you do with these blackberries??
Please leave me your ideas. I'm clinging to this last, juicy, wonderful part of summer with all of my being!

First Day of School... Check!

2008-08-26T08:11:00.000-07:00

We all survived the first day of school. Some of us had butterflies (like me!). Ella started Kindergarten, Cora went to 2nd grade, Peter went to 5th grade & Austen went off to the Junior/Senior High school for 7th grade.

Everyone made the transition really smoothly. We had a fairly relaxed morning. It was probably as relaxed as we could be on any given morning. Ella had a 1/2 day from 8-11:30 and Austen had a 1/2 day from 11:30 'til 2:30. Luckily, I've learned how to be in two places at (almost) the same time so it all worked out.

The best part of the day for me was collecting everyone back up and hearing all of the chatter about who, what, when & for how long! Wishing you all a great start to the school year~

Great Friends, Good Times

2008-08-24T12:03:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon/evening was Dinner Picnic at Silver Lake Night. It's kind of a tradition in the most loose way. It ends up being "whoever feels like it bringing whatever they feel like." Nothing structured or formal. We were blessed with beautiful weather. Lots and lots of wonderful friends gathered for a a great time. The highlight was all of the "MOMS" lining up at the end of the dock, holding hands and jumping in. I'm so sad that there's no footage. Austen and Peter were impressed. (What mom doesn't want to impress their pre-teen?)

Can you notice the little patch of leaves taking on their Autumn colors? *sigh*

As we send our little ones back to school tomorrow am, I am giving thanks for all of our amazing friends and all of their amazing kids~and there are LOTS of them. We are so lucky and glad to raise our kids with you all! Thanks for a great time!

Way to Go Ella!!!

2008-08-23T14:11:00.000-07:00

Little Miss Ella is well on her way to being a Black Belt! She tested successfully for her yellow stripe last week! I can tell you first hand that it's a tad nerve~wracking to stand in front of the instructors and the whole class to test for your next rank. Ella did it on her own and she did an outstanding job! See for yourself:

Here is our instructor Master Tom Chase putting Ella's new belt on her!
Both Master Tom Chase and our other instructor, Master Peter Chase (his father) are 5th Degree Black Belts. Toms daughter Jenny (our excellent babysitter) is a 2nd Degree.
Ella and I only have 9 more testings to be recommended for our Black Belts. :)

Let Me Do You a Favor!

2008-08-21T12:57:00.000-07:00

My friend Cindy's daughter is having her bridal shower next week. Cindy is a great customer and she asked me to do up a huge basket of party favors for all of the girls. I think it's the coolest idea. Everyone gets to pick from the assortment, so they will love what they get. Cindy provided her basket and I filled it full of goodies.

Julie (the bride) is using a Starry Night theme for her wedding. So, Cindy chose some Starry Night Kaleidosoap. She also ordered some Starry Night Bath Confetti, Energy Spa Bars, Lime in the Coconut Spa Bars & Energy Shea Butter Lotion. Isn't that so fun? Happy Shower, Julie!!

I'd be so happy to do this for anyone. The favors are $4.50 a piece with a minimum of 20 pieces. The best part is working to customize it for the event. I just love this stuff! Leave me a comment if you have a party coming up!

Super Softening Sparkling Bath Treatment

2008-08-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

Ironically, I don't take nearly as many nice, relaxing baths as I should. I have so many reasons to run for the tub and yet, like many of us, I don't set aside that time for myself! That's pretty funny since I spend a lot of my energy encouraging my girlfriends (and people that I don't even know!) to take the time to pamper themselves with some yummy bath products.

Don't get me wrong, I am the number one tester of every single thing that I formulate! I only use what I make these days. The thing is that I shower/bathe with the mindset of the product tester. I'm in there with my critical thinking cap on. "How does it feel? How does this smell? How can it be better?" It's time to enjoy my bathroom and body products the way they are meant to be enjoyed. Sparkling Bath Treatment is my first step in "bath tub rehab".

I did this first batch in Champagne Chic (another nod to Anne-Marie's amazing supply of FO's).
It's a fun, effervescent party for the bath. Featuring Kaolin Clay & Coconut Milk, it offers the most softening, soothing bath water! Hop over to etsy and treat yourself! It's time to walk the walk and enjoy a couple of precious, quiet, wonderful moments to ourselves!

Time in Monet's Garden

2008-08-18T04:31:00.002-07:00

This was such a fun batch of soap to make. It's full of softening olive oil, coconut oil & palm kernel oil. It's a nice hard bar that's full of lather! I went way out on the swirly limb and used three colors to mimic Monet's Water Garden. Swirling was a treat! I had one of those soaper's adrenaline rushes while I was pulling it all together. The fragrance is Brambleberry's Sweet Pea, which was great in the batch. Six weeks later, it's still sharing it's yummy scent. It's sweet, fresh & a tiny bit musky. I love it.

Of course, it's available on Etsy! ;)

Free Shipping for 110th Order!

2008-08-13T09:33:00.000-07:00

I've had 97 sales on Etsy Woo Hoo! I love shipping my products out... it's so satisfying! :) So, if you're my 110th order, leave me a comment and I'll pick up the shipping tab! Here are some of the items you might choose:Sweet Birch Shea & Shimmer Scrub Ginger Lime Artisan Soap Foaming Hand Wash Sweet Birch Shower Butte r in Pamplemo usse
Happy Girl Pedi cure Kit

Whatever you do...
have fun with it!

What Once Was Cheesy...

2008-08-12T06:54:00.000-07:00

Isn't it amazing how all of the things you firmly believed in your single-life 20's are proven untrue during your married with kids 30's & 40's? My girlfriend Ronda has always said, "Parenthood is the greatest humbler." She's usually spot on.

We've gone to Gerry's family condo at Loon Mountain since day one. (That would be about 21 years ago.) It's relaxing & beautiful, high up in the White Mountains. The skiing is great (especially because you can hop on right outside the condo) and during the summer, there is no shortage of hiking, biking or swimming to be done. It's also right around the bend from the now~deceased Old Man in the Mountain and Franconia Notch. Awesome. One thing that I turned my nose way up to 21 years ago was the "cheesy~money~sucking" theme parks planted in this region. If you asked the 20 year old me to go to Whale's Tale, I'd tell you, "No way!".

Well, times change. We took the kids there on Sunday and had a ball. So what if we handed over a fat wad of cash to get in? So what if there were thousands of screaming kidlets running around
with their slightly addled parents? It was great family fun! Here's a little video of Gerry at his best going down what we affectionately call "the toilet bowl".

How Cool Is This?!

2008-08-07T18:31:00.000-07:00

I got to try some Bo Staff work at Blue Wave Summer Camp. It was awesome! I love it and I'm determined to master it (I'm sure it will take a long time!) Here is Mr. Kwiatek who is one of the instructors at the dojang in Beverly, MA. He makes it look so easy and seamless. I can share with you all that I bonked myself in the head more than once during our seminar.
Find more videos like this on The Blue Wave Taekwondo Association

I'll post some pictures of summer camp next week. We are off for a long weekend to Loon Mountain. Gerry's parents have had a condo on the mountain for many years. It's a great, quiet place to go and regroup. Can't wait for some hiking and playing at the Whales Tale Waterpark.

Sweet Birch Shea & Shimmer Scrub

2008-08-05T04:19:00.002-07:00

I've found my favorite product. I've been using it everyday this Summer and I can officially say that I am in LOVE!!! My Sweet Birch Shea & Shimmer Scrub is an offspring of Sweet Birch Shower Butter which you can read about here. These products are members of the Sweet Birch family, which is a line of scrubs featuring the uber~gentle exfoliating properties of sugar. Sweet Birch Lip Scrub & Face Polish are coming soon.

The thing about Shea & Shimmer Scrub that has me so amped up is that it has solved my biggest problem in life... DRY SKIN!!! I lean towards scaly on the dryness measuring system. If I don't slather on lotion after a shower, my skin is visibly parched. You know, scratch-your-name-into-it kind of dry. My friends, those days are over for me!

Here's the rundown~Organic Shea Butter, sweet almond oil, vegetable glycerin, pure cane sugar, the finest, yummiest fragrance oils or essential oils around and (drumroll) a pinch of shimmer dust. The scrub goes on like buttah and rinses off to leave you SOOOOO SOFT. The pinch of shimmer is just enough to show that you have inner sparkle & beauty. It's wonderful for date~night! Right now, it's available in Island Girl, Energy & Grapefruit Lily. More fragrances are showing up every day!

The difference from our Shower Butter is that there is no soap in this product. So, you can choose a soapy, bubbly lathery good time or super~softening moisturizing, won't-need-any-lotion-after-this scrub! Either way, you win!~ PS. I've been scrubbing away for 8 weeks and haven't had one break-out. No promises that you won't, but it hasn't been an issue for me!

Buy the Sweet Birch Shea & Shimmer Scrub here and the Sweet Birch Shower Butter here.

Playing Tag with Soap Friends

2008-07-30T12:42:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by Elizabeth at Gassner Custom Soaps
These are the rules:

1) Link to the person who tagged you
2) Post the rules on your blog (this is what you are now reading)
3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below)
4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them (This is only a game)
5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog
6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up

OK, so here goes random:

1. I was in the band with my future husband in elementary school. He played the Sax and I played the flute. He was in 5th grade and I was in 4th.2. I weighed 80 lbs more than I do now after I had Ella. My two best friends were Ben & Jerry.

3. I live 90 miles away from the nearest Target. I've been to Target twice in my life... and I loved it!
4. Gerry took all of my siblings, their spouses, my bff Laurel and me out for the best night of my life for my 40th birthday. He took care of all of the details which included a limo into Boston, a spectacular meal and a night for the 2 of us at the Omni Parker House Hotel in Boston. It was a blast!

5. I got a tatoo when I was 39 and my MIL didn't know about it until this year (2 years later.) I don't think she loves tatoos... :)

6. I never in a million years would have considered myself crafty enough to be a soaper, but it has become the second most fun thing I do~next to being a Mom/Wife.So now it's time for tagging.....

1. Sherrie at Birch Bark Soap
2. Michelle at Oats and Honey
3.Jennie at Beehive and Bird's Nest
4.That Guy from Soap with Balls
5. Elizabeth from Gracefruit
6. Diana from Shea Bath

Love to you all!

A Soap? A Moisturizer? Both!

2008-07-28T04:45:00.000-07:00

I am a scrub junkie from way back. I used to buy all those scrubs that you'd find in the mall or at department stores. No more. Once I started making soap, I fell in love with making scrubs as well. I love the concept of getting clean and soft in the shower. It's my thing.

So here's the first of two of my fav. scrub products. It's called Sweet Birch Shower Butter and it's really yummy. It's a whipped cleanser loaded with pure cane sugar, sweet almond oil & glycerin. Just imagine being in the shower and scrubbing with a soothing, smoothing, creamy butter. You'll rinse off clean and dry off soft. It's so fun!

Click on my Etsy site to read more. It's currently available in Ginger Lime, Summer Green & Pamplemousse.

I can't believe that I am working on Autumn/Winter products already, but I am. Let me know what your favorite seasonal fragrances are. I love to hear what you are craving!

Another Bubble Class.. A New Teacher

2008-07-25T07:40:00.000-07:00

Austen and Peter have known their friend, Jacob, since they were tiny. Peter and Jacob are about 4 month apart in age and they have been buddies since the beginning. In fact, we have known Jon & Ann (his parents) since days before kids. (I don't remember those days, but I know they happened!) Jacob also has a brother, Isaac, who is Cora's age and a sister, Olivia, who is Ella's age. Anyway, Jacob came over for some play time the other day and brought Jarvis, who stayed with the Kaplans for 2 weeks as part of the Fresh Air Fund.

Austen thought it would be fun to make some soap with the boys, so off they went to get some suds going. It's amazing how little I have to participate in these projects now that the boys are so much older. Austen took on the role of lead instructor. He did a great job explaining the technique of making Melt & Pour soap. Peter was right there with him showing Jacob and Jarvis some of his favorite molds and fragrances.

Jarvis left for home the next morning. We are all happy to think of his family getting bubbly in the Bronx with the soap that he made up here in the Green Mountains.

Red Belt Success!

2008-07-23T06:55:00.000-07:00

Last night the Randolph Blue Wave TKD clan traveled up to the Burlington Blue Wave Dojang for a great night of testing. Once a student has reached 3rd Gup (Blue Belt with Red Stripe), they must test outside of their home dojang. Gerry was notified last week that he would be testing in Burlington for his RED belt. This is a huge deal because earning your Red Belt leaves you only 2 tests away from BLACK BELT! It also means testing in front of a formidable panel of Black BeltsTesting is really hard physically and pretty intense emotionally. Here's a quick vid. of Gerry's Board Breaking and Sparring segments. You can see that he kicked Master White and Miss Essig when he tried to break. It looked painful. Gerry apologized after the testing. He did an amazing job during his testing! He was very focused and looked great!!

I get the sense that being a Red Belt is kind of like pledging for a fraternity. Master White was telling the dojang last night that lots and lots of people quit TKD as Red Belts and that students have to stay focused and determined to make it all the way. They often have to drop and do push-ups for whatever reason a Black Belt comes up with. They also fetch the Black Belts their coffee, serve ice cream to 350 people at Summer Camp and do other types of scrub work.

I can't wait for the day that my three boys test for their Black Belt. Although Austen and Peter weren't quite ready for this testing, they are working really hard to earn the right to test before the Fall. Gerry has said that his goal is to test with the boys for Black Belt. Big congrats to Sonja and Mike who also earned their Red Belts and Ramsey who earned her Red Stripe! Huge congratulations to Gerry for his outstanding job!! We are all so proud of you!!!

Meanwhile, I will test (with Ella?) for my yellow stripe on Tues 7.29. I'm nervous, but I totally love the personal challenge that TKD is making me face. TKD couldn't possibly be any further out of my comfort zone and I am totally into it.

Too Much Soaping Lately?

2008-07-22T04:54:00.000-07:00

Remember "Castaway", the movie starring Tom Hanks and a volleyball? He named the ball Wilson (it was a Wilson volleyball), and made it/him his friend. I think I have my very own Wilson. Is that... wrong?

I was having a hard time coming up with a name for a new fragrance formulation. I'm a girl who can head into space pretty quickly, so that's where I went to try to solve my problem. When I came back into focus (literally and figuratively), I spied this little soap ball that had been tossed aside about a month ago. It was part of a batch of Kumquat soap. The batch was nice, but a little too soft so I made a few soap spheres with it. I had also topped the batch with calendula petals, which ended up on top.

Still without a name for my new fragrance, I found myself decorating my soap ball and turning him into Bubba. This is a sure sign that I need more fresh air in my days!

One Bubble at a Time

Six Winners

Lemongrass & Calendula

This Little Piggy

Go Eagles

Jitters

And the Beat Goes On

Home Again

Hello, Pumpkin!

Autumn Jewels from Etsy

Lots of Summer Fun

Autumn Bubbles

Breathe

Black Stripe Boys

Time in Monet's Garden

The Tender Days of June & The Seduction of a Great Salt Bar

Mentor Magic

Austen Plays Lax, Peter Plays Third!

Hey! We've Been Flocked!

Happy Birthday, Gerry!!

Feeling Green

Let the Breeze Blow!

A Nod to Jimmy Buffet

While Mom's Away, the Kids Will Play

Girlie Weekend

Hurts So Good

Ten Thousand Tuesday?

Black Stripe Super Star!

I'm Sorry, Did You Say Ten Thousand?

Facebook Flashback

Playing Blog Tag... Indie Beauty Style

Loving the Giveaway at Life Starring Ellie & Eve!

Thanks to All...

Prayers for Max

It's All About YUZU!

Pick One of Two... EtsyBloggers Carnival Fun

Etsy Front Page Surprise

Holiday Concert Fun

Final Feel the Love Giveaway~ Merry Christmas!!

Spotted Cow Soaps... It's a Small World

The Tree's Up! The Tree's Down! The Tree's Up!

Feel the Love Friday Giveaway for you Piggies

Man! Your Hair is Crazy!

Feel the Love Giveaway is the Bomb

Deck the Halls...

Feeling the Love Giveaway ~ Energize!

Giving Thanks for All Of You & Where's the Giveaway?

Last Batch Before Christmas

Let's Just Get Along

Feel the Love Friday Giveaway in a Perfect Way

Table for 20

Feel the Love Friday Giving Away in a Peaceful Way

ding dong!

November 4th

Halloween Fun in the 'Hood

Feel the Love Friday Hops Aboard the Holiday Express

Under the Willow Love & The Inevitable Last Minute Halloween Crunch

Bubbles are Beautiful

Feel the Love Friday Giveaway on Monday

Featured on Little Window Shoppe

Feel the Love *REALLY* Friday Giveaway Week 4

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like.....

.... And, Action! Twin Birch's Made In Vermont TV Debut

Feel the Love Friday Giveaway Week 3

Bombs Away!

GO SOX!!!!!!!

Mama's Magic Studio... You'll Love It!

Feel the Love Friday Giveaway week 2.

Autumn in Vermont

They Went, They Tested, They Passed (& so did Ella & I)

Liberty Orchard Fun

Feel the Love Friday Giveaway

Martha Love... The Martha Blog Contest

Give Away Today, Give Away Every Friday Until Christmas

Puking at the Tunbridge Fair

How Do You Feel About Fall?

All's Fun In Love

We Will Never Forget

Yummy Massage Melts

And The Winner Is... ME!

Feel the Love REALLY Friday Giveaway Week 4