Bittersweet and the little soap company

black dirt and a birthday

Helena said it well...

Well, it's here! Our twenty-five-year anniversary has already officially arrived, but we will be celebrating at our shop this Friday and Saturday. I'm not sure how twenty-five years buzz by, but I'm appreciative of each and every year. The ups and the downs, the mistakes, and the lessons, the rewards, and the gratification have forged this small business into a dream of sorts. I sometimes need to pinch myself to let me know it's all been real because it's such a marvelous ride. Mostly I'm reminded of my blessings through my customers. You bring joy to my heart and soul. Each of us is on a journey of sorts. Helena said it best, life is art!  Thank you!

Today marks the start of what will fast become a fast-moving couple of seasons in the months ahead. Our events seem to bump up right next to each other. Our anniversary celebration, May Day event, and then I'm seriously thinking of having another shop sale the first week of June. The shop has a surplus of pillows and a variety of what I call lonely merchandise. Means we have only one or two of something. This translates into one or two of some things just sitting in our backroom, and our back room is small. It's hard to merchandise one item. We had so much fun at our sale last summer! I'll keep you posted with the date. We're looking at the first Friday and Saturday in June which is the same time we had our sale last year. 

The golden morel is back! I've heard through the mushroom grapevine that they are finding them left and right. The tall and proud morel picture was shot a few years ago at the shop. There's more to the story than what meets the mushroom eye. You see in what I refer to as the olden days, once there was talk about finding the foraging treat I'd put on my boots and head to the woods. I'd hunt all day long or until I found a bag or two. Most of the time I'd come home with pounds upon pounds and sometimes I'd have to get clever on how to transport my foraging friends home. I'll let you run with that! Anyway, back to the story... That day that the mushroom was found I was yearning to go mushroom hunting because the old-timers were talking about how they were finding them like crazy. You probably won't get it unless you're a mushroom hunter.  It was a busy spring as it often is, and I knew that I  just didn't have time to go hunting. Low and behold the tall golden morel had popped up next to the trashcans at the shop! Let me first say, this is highly unusual for a mushroom to pop up in such a way that this one did. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it! Given its location and the habitat, I'm convinced that the mushroom was a gift from God. I picked it, took it home, and ate it! It was probably the best-tasting mushroom I've ever had! Little things. 

The green meadow picture is from our Arkansas trip last summer. This area is adjacent to Blue Spring in Eureka Springs Arkansas. The meadow is part of the Trail of Tears.  Every time I visit this enchanting place a feeling of melancholy overcomes my mood as I gaze over the meadow. I can almost see the men, women, and children walking this trail and sadness overcomes me. Is it possible that remnants of their sadness are woven into the earth? I kind of think so. I've had this feeling before at burial sites and battle sites. It's always the same sad feeling so I have to believe there's more to the story. It's ironic how we as humans, don't learn from our mistakes. We seem to repeat the same mistakes over and over.

On a happier note...

In an impromptu moment, I constructed thirty goody bags to be handed out during our twenty-five-year anniversary celebration. They're a delightful little token of appreciation that includes a new summer perfume, our favorite orange-vanilla bath salt, lip balm, and soap. I rushed to get the bags filled and managed to finish construction right before closing yesterday in between customers. We will be handing out fifteen bags on Friday and the other fifteen on Saturday. 

I've been on the hunt for cookbook props for the cover. The wooden spoons were a recent discovery that I think will be the perfect touch to the cover. We also have them available at the shop. 

The redbuds are in full bloom! One of the reasons I love our yard is that we have planted every tree, bush, or flower and when they start to bloom or pop up, memories do too! Years ago I traveled to the country and dug up a carload of flowers from an old farm. Peonies, Iris, and Bridal Spirea. All our old-fashioned plants, but nothing compares to their beauty in the spring. 

 We received our shipment of One Day at A time T-shirts, but I'm afraid we sold out of most of our inventory this week. The good news is that I've re-ordered more and they should be arriving any day. I love the wording on this t-shirt! They are organic cotton and oh so soft and comfy to wear.

Wood Sorrels, the mere name is intriguing. They are also an old-fashioned flower.  

Two new lip balms hit the shelves last week! The cherry vanilla was inspired by a memory of sipping cherry coke. Not the kind you buy in a can, but the one that you'd get at an old-time drugstore where they'd add the cherry and vanilla syrup to the beverage. Oh my!  Honestly, someone should bring that back! 

We look forward to seeing your smiling faces at our birthday and mayday celebration on Friday and Saturday!

Jill 

 

        

 

Season Everything With Love

The cherry blossoms are blooming! We are experiencing a late spring here in Missouri. Usually, by this time, everything is in full bloom, but I'm thinking it's going to hit all at once and then get hot. 

They say if you live in Missouri and don't like the weather simply wait until tomorrow. Having lived here most of my life with a brief interlude in California, I would attest to this to be the truth. 

Our summer soaps are beginning to line our curing shelves. Pineapple Mango will make its return in mid-May. 

Easter kind of came and went, but it was peaceful and quiet. I worked on both books and kind of lay low because it was cold and rainy which translates to a homebody. Not necessarily a bad thing. Days like that allow me some downtime. Not too much of that lately. Heck, not too much of that for the past twenty-five years since owning and managing Bittersweet. Again, not a bad thing. 

We just received a box filled with the softest organic t-shirts. I'm a t-shirt girl. They are my grab-and-go favorite once the weather warms. 

Let the circle be unbroken, by and by Lord by and by...

What is it about a corked bottle? I loved them then, and I love them now!

My fiddle leaf is flourishing. I get oodles of questions about these plants. I have a couple at the shop and a few at home. Each fiddle leaf takes indifferent sun. We have north, south, east, and west exposure in our home- and all four exposures seem to be exactly what the figs love. I give them a wee drink of water each week, and that's it. They require minimal maintenance.  I desperately need to dig them all up and transplant them, but I'm waiting for it to warm up.

The layout and title are finalized for the upcoming cookbook, and the second book is coming along nicely. Content is flowing and the cover has been designed and planned out. That feels good! 

Working and writing two books while manufacturing and managing an apothecary shop is not as busy as it might sound. 

My grandmother Lola against all odds opened her restaurant during the depression. She was a pioneer that possessed the ability to be strong and gentle at the same time. 

I spent an entire day pulling up Creeping Charlie last week. I had on leather gloves and wore holes in the tips if that tells you anything. As soon as the rain is out of the forecast, I'm going to kill the rest with a mixture of this. Much easier than pulling it all up. I'm always somewhat reluctant to get rid of something that has medicinal properties, but in this case, the intrusive weed is going to choke out all of my hostas and English ivy. Life of a gardener. It's a good life. 

Jill 

  

 

 

 

deadlines and birthdays

Well, well, I did something that was not forecasted, I set a deadline for the book that I'm writing. Then after considering the idea of writing a second book, a cookbook, I set deadline number two. So I have two books in the works! What I'm seeing is that it's a good thing to set a deadline when you're writing a book. Never say never! I'm happy to announce that both books are coming along nicely and if things continue to run smoothly, we'll have both books available in early twenty-three! Editing, covers, and photographer might detour that date, but we've got a green light for the content.  Yippee! I'm fortunate in having a shop so that I can offer the books in a retail setting. Once early Spring 23 arrives I can sell millions of copies! Probably not, but it's good to put those thoughts out there!

She is the love of my life! This little sweetie just had her summer haircut. Not only is she a faithful companion as most dogs are, but she's also tender-hearted and playful. Elle turns eleven in August. Just as your children grow ever so fast, so do dogs. Their presence in our lives is a blessing, but I don't need to tell you that because I know that you feel the same. 

A gentle smile and she's rocking that top and jeans! I'm always reluctant to ask customers if I can capture a picture after they try on clothing, but Elizabeth was happy to oblige. After we began chatting I discovered that she works at the same veterinary office that I take Elle to. Small world! 

Save the date! Where has the time gone? It's like a blur, but a colorful and vibrant one!

When I was searching for new items for the shop this t-shirt stood out! Be the Good See the Good. Powerful words in small print, and ones that we sometimes have difficulty with. After all, we're only human. By the way, I touch on this, no I dig into this method of living or lifestyle change in the book! Those are powerful words!

The flower shop delivered our fresh blooms. The flower of the week is Rice Flower.  Heather also delivered huge very tall bundles of cherry blossoms. We laughed when she sat them down, as I was astonished by their size!  They haven't popped open yet, but I would imagine by next week they'll be showcasing pink clusters of blooms. 

It's funny how when a loved one passes you still remember their birthday. No matter what's going on in your life or how busy you are you always recognize their special earthly day. I believe that's a good thing to remember, and it's an even greater thing to celebrate their time here on earth. My mom was smart, savvy, creative, and a great cook! She didn't always tell me what I wanted to hear, but she was always right in her evaluation of things. In fact, she was soft- spoken but quite opinionated, and since she was so intelligent you knew that her answers were bound with knowledge and empathy. Those are two qualities that could sing a lovely song!  There should be a song about that! Oh, I'm sure that there is! If you recall what song it is, let me know. 

I've always thought there was something intriguing about an extra-large chunk of soap!  Well of course I think that way, I'm a soap maker! Scratch that thought, because I believe that the mere image of a huge loaf of soap is a curiosity to anyone whether they be a soap maker or not. How do I get off on these subjects? 

This seemed like a slow week, but as I'm going through this week's pictures I realize just how busy it was. That could be a metaphor for life. How often have you felt stuck in a rut or felt things were moving slowly only to realize the opposite? I do it all of the time. In fact, probably every day.

I don't have to look far within my shop to churn up sweet memories. When re-opening my shop my dad and brother went with me to pick out a particular piece that was planted in my mind. We went to our local Habitat for Humanity. We no sooner walked in and I spotted this now white sidebar. I believe it was once a hotel table that the television was on. It had a dark wood finish and holes on the top where the television screwed in. By the way, I had no idea that they mounted the televisions in hotels. Who knew? The sidebar didn't have legs so my dad and brother found some legs piled up in a corner of the warehouse at Habitat. We took the piece home and they added the legs. I painted it white and added the pulls. The piece set me back twenty dollars! It's turned out to be an invaluable piece as it has deep sturdy drawers that are perfect for storing soap bars. Honestly, the memories are what's significant. I don't recall a time when my brother and dad were ever with me picking out furniture. Little things always turn into the big ones. 

Peace. 

Jill  
 
  

 
  

 

 

 

 

Rise & Shine!

It's been a whirlwind of a week! There are bits and pieces of it still floating in my mind. The shop undertook a SPRING update and I'm proud to announce that the changing of the shop was completed in two days! I believe that's a record! Typically once one digs into a shop corner the result duplicates a domino effect. You end up with an entire shop in disarray. Now you have a path for customers to walk through, and it's usually a narrow path!  I'm starting to think that since I've been a shop owner for so long that I've earned the badge of smooth sailing shop makeovers. What's that saying? With experience comes wisdom. Well, I believe this to be true, however, if you do something over and over you tend to pick up a rhythm and method that suits your needs. The above verbiage is phenominal!  Because we all encounter sadness in our lives at some time or other. This is a healthy way to look at sadness. It's nice to know that sadness will not bury itself in you and last forever. It's temporary.  Thank you, P.O. Tuama for sharing! It's also a great reminder for when you do get sad.

The idea of incorporating Iconic Recipes into skincare isn't something new. Well, obviously not since the word Iconic is used. Days gone by recipes have always been Bittersweet's go-to and favored formulations. In honesty, natural ingredients that were used hundreds of years ago are still here for a reason. Our great-grandmother-, and grandmothers were smart and savvy. They didn't have time fooling around and wasting time on notions of having to do something over again to get results. A lot of knowledge was passed down from family to family, and if a relative was fortunate enough to be friends with an American Indian who held vast knowledge about plants and medicinal properties, their family was blessed. 

I couldn't resist capturing a circle of soap! 

We're happy to announce the return of White Flower! This light and airy flavored soap will transport your thoughts to all things Spring. 

How many cookbooks do you own? A few months ago I sorted through mine. If you love to cook then chances are you're like me and have hundreds. I could live two, three, four, lifetimes and still not dig into the recipes! So, I began the challenging task of thinning out my collection. I've managed to cut down the size and stashed some of the rare books. I have an International Cookbook that is very old. It's filled with an assortment of recipes from around the world. Whenever I'd make something from the cookbook, it was always exciting to prepare foods that I wasn't familiar with. I'd have to stock up on spices and herbs that sometimes I'd never heard of. If nothing else my curiosity to see what flavor they added was part of my excitement.   To someone that doesn't like to cook, it would be boring, but to a baker and maker it opened up a whole new enchanting world that allowed me to share tasty dishes with my family and friends. 

Sleeping and lounging...

There are certain things that I'm attracted to. One of those things is cotton nightgowns. You know the style of night shift that you'd see as you're watching Pride and Prejudice or Downtown Abbey. I love this style! We have them at the shop! The white cotton garments are cool and comfortable and romantic to wear. They are hard to find nowadays, and I'm proud to say that I'm bringing them back!

Who doesn't love a floppy hat? Firstly, they're cotton, and second, a must-have accessory for jaunts to the beach or a Saturday stroll to the farmers market. They're super cute and look great on all heads!

We also have another favorite accessory, leather belt bags. I'm so happy that these bags are making a comeback! This buttery soft bag happily takes you into summer on vacations and explorations. As we all should be exploring every chance we get!

Shampoo Bars are also back!

Adopt A Plant Tee, and summer-ready platform sandals are grab and go ready! We're getting limited on sizes. Those cute little sneakers are the bomb!

Rise and Shine!

Jill