Feel the Love Giveaway is the Bomb

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

Feeling the Love Giveaway ~ Energize!

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

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

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! :)

Feel the Love Friday Giveaway Week 3

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!!

Feel the Love Friday Giveaway week 2.

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

"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!

Feel the Love Friday Giveaway

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!

Give Away Today, Give Away Every Friday Until Christmas

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!

How Do You Feel About Fall?

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! :)

We Will Never Forget

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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!

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

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!